Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Daniel Kelly – Picture Book: Timmy the Speedy Mailman


Timmy the Speedy Mailman written by Jane Brierley and illustrated by Tony Wolf is a simple children’s picture book about a Turtle mailman called Timmy. The book visits some of the animal client that Timmy delivers to in his travels. As a child this was one of my favourite books and I fondly remember each and every one of the illustrations. The story isn’t too strong and perhaps this is why the credits give mention to the Illustrator Wolf before the writer Brierley, in saying this text is very clever and is designed to have a rhythm. This book would be really great to introduce students to rhyme and rhythm in reading.

The illustrations are exceptional in the way they tell the greatest part of the story. Each page is as if it’s a snap shot in the deliveries of Timmy. The colours are vivid and a young child will spend a great deal of time analysing each page to get the full meaning of the story. The dominant text in this book is certainly the visual text of the illustrations. The characters, emotions, expressions, settings and actions are all held within the illustrations.

The book is made even more interactive by the inclusion of a ringing door bell. The book is one in a series. Although this book seems rather simple it may be appropriate as a starting point for young readers who struggle with reading with rhyme. 

Daniel C. Kelly

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