Everyone in this quaint little town is busy, all except for the girl with her pockets full of chalk. As she wanders through streets made of black lines, she leaves a trail of colourful pictures, which come to life behind her back. Monsters are her speciality. But the adults in the town don’t want anything to do with her imaginary creatures. They fight off the intruders with garden hoses and parking tickets, but the children think they’re excellent fun.

In Alice Hoogstad’s charming wordless picture book, a little girl refuses to be penned in by the black-and-white lines of authority. With her bright colours and her imaginative pictures, she shows how to transform a colourless world into a place that’s cheerful, exuberant and inviting – a triumph of the imagination.