Sofiana Paidousi
and Ιce Wonder
How did you come up with the idea?
A few years ago, a tragic bullying incident shook Greece and affected me, consciously or unconsciously, to a great extent. It has been in the back of my mind for years, but like many other incidents that happen, it is slow to surface in literary, at least, form.
What is included in the rich material of the book?
In addition to my fairy tale, illustrated by Penelope Lazari, it includes creative writing activities and theatrical improvisations, by Elena Aivazopoulou and myself, the perspective of four psychologists and/or personal development consultants, who "enter" the story (Elena Anastasiadou, Lisa Kalfa, Marialena Mara & Melina Makridou), recorded narration of the story (via qr code technology) by teachers, musicians & actors (Nikos Giakoumakis, Domniki Karantziou, Vasso Michailidou, Haris Onoufrios, Mariana Rizou, Argyris Tafralidis & Iraklis Tsafaridis), an exclusive song by the songwriter Michaela Kyrgiafini, a dramatized monologue by the actor Dimitris Giotis and last but not least, the "guardian angel" of Ice Wonder, General Manolis Sfakianakis, with the surprise participation of Kelly Ioannou! (ugh, I hope I didn't forget any!)
How important is it to read books to children and teach them to read extracurricular books?
It is one of the most important things we have to do as parents and as educators. I don't separate the new books from the classics - which grew generations and generations - because they all have their symbolism and value. The book, beyond the aesthetic pleasure and delight, it can offer to children, contributes, at the same time, to the development of their imagination and creativity, to their acquaintance with other peoples and cultures as well as to the acceptance of diversity.
It is not enough, however, and I feel the need to emphasize this, to encourage children and teenagers to read (extracurricular) quality books, in the time and environment we live in. The daily engagement of most, from a very young age, with electronic media and entertainment, has alarmingly reduced interest in the search for information and pleasure through reading books. In this, the adults-models, who have excluded the book, to a large extent, from their daily life, are fully responsible.
Only when the book is reintegrated into the family by its adult members can we hope that it will work beneficially in the long run for everyone. It's worth a try...