AN AUTHOR has collected the amusing insights of children into a new book after noticing within her own family how the innocence and honesty of youngsters can have some hilarious results.
Soula Zavacopoulos wrote the Wisdom of Kids following the success of a range of greetings cards with quotes from children with shops such as Paperchase, Harrods and Selfridges.
She came up with the idea soon after losing her job as a web designer because of a repetitive strain injury in her hand.
The 34-year-old of Ealing Common, said: “I was doing art while I was recovering and while I was at exhibitions people kept asking me whether I had any cards. I made some and they sold really fast.
“I looked into it a bit more and was really encouraged when I was told by the Greetings Card Association that people in this country bought more cards than tea and coffee put together.
“The market was already saturated so I needed something quirky. I’m Greek and have a large extended family and always thought it was quite funny what the young children came up with. It just grew from there.”
Now she has a much larger base to draw quotes. From fans who send her what their children say through social media and by running competitions for parents to see their youngster’s quote made as a card.
Ms Zavacopoulos branched out to mugs and other products and recently had the book published by Summersdale.
Her celebrity fans include retail magnate Theo Paphitis of the BBC’s Dragon’s Den whose quote ‘love it, love it , love it’ is on the front cover.
Asked her favourite quote, she said: “I think it has to be ‘if you can’t remember your age then check the back of your pants. Mine says age 5 to 6’.”
Ms Zavacopoulos is signing copies of the book at Waterstone’s in Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre tomorrow at 2pm.
Visit www.theLondonStudio.com to find out more about her work.
