Nobody Import: A children’s picture book written by Lee J Mavin and Illustrated by Karolina Piotrowska.

This book was published by Tellwell in May 2023.

Nobody Important is about a land that is under attack from a powerful force in the North. The people of this land look to their smartest citizens to stop the invastion. However they all fail to stop the plundering until finally, they find someone, the most unlikely person. Nobody Important, (yes, that’s his name) somehow put a stop to the war.

Nobody could have known that the Evil Ones would attack so suddenly from the North. They came with fire and folly, mounted on wild beasts, and the poor Underlings, who were very much undersized and unprepared, cried out for help across the Western Lands. They tried to broadcast the terror to the world and the Higher Elders and Wise Chieftains devised plans to strike back. As the war grew and grew the innocent Underlings watched in horror, hoping for someone to save them. One of those Underlings was Nobody Important (yes that was his actual name), and he came up with an unrealistic plan to stop the Evil Ones.

Why I wrote Nobody Important

I wrote Nobody Important in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. At first, I wanted to focus on the invasion, the harm and destruction initiated by Russia, I also wanted to empathize with the pointlessness of war and how the media reacts to war. I created a fantasy world to reflect this focus. The Evil Ones are the invaders, but are more of a reflection of how Western media portray “the enemy”. I feel this process does not help the situation, however, the invasion of another country is always wrong. I offer a solution, though a very romantic solution, that through simple dialogue, in the form of poetry, the invaders and the people being invaded, can see how similar they are and therefore see the similarities in each other. I feel we are focusing on what makes us different too often, we need to be reminded of our human, universal qualities, which is what the character Nobody Important represents.

What was this unrealistic plan and how could somebody named Nobody Important bring an end to the war?

Nobody Important: The message

Throughout history, countries have invaded other countries to expand, exploit, dominate and take resources. The victims of these invasions often create beautiful art depicting their horror, despair and the destruction of their homes. The Arteist Artists represent this process as they are chosen to create works of art, depicting how Evil the Evil Ones are. This is justified and is a legitimate form of art, however, it does not work to stop war and often pours fuel on the fire.

Nobody Important is a simple poet. I feel that poetry used to be more valued in society and these days it is almost completely ignored. I feel poetry is the most purest art form as it only relies on words, rhyming, often without narrative or characterisation. I thought it would be a wonderful gesture, if a poet stopped a war and his words brought peace to the world.

I hope readers are entertained, inspired and see the deeper meaning in the book.

Target Audience

Nobody Important is targeted to 5 to 10 year olds

Nobody Important by Lee Mavin: Future plans

To make the book available in major bookstores, do interviews and discuss the book on radio and TV and donate the book to libraries around the world. I believe the art, the story and the message will make the book a big sucssess.