By Rachel Lawson
Reuse has always been the most enjoyable part of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra. And no picturebook creator reuses better than Leo Timmers.
It’s the topic of Gus’s Garage: “Here comes Gus. The things he stores! Whatever will he use them for?”
The answers appear as each visitor leaves the garage with a magnificent vehicle concocted from Gus’s pile of junk. From trumpet blaster to a fridge-car for ice cream days.
You’ll find ingenious reuse in most of Leo’s books: Arnold the elephant constructs a whole island from broken boats, complete with rotating seagull feeder and waffle machine. Monkey on the Run features on-the-road cinema and aquarium and a combined ambulance-orange-juicer.
In the new book about a courageous, curious duck, The Monster in the Lake, carefully examine the underwater city to find the reused treasure. (Careful examination is what Leo Timmers’ illustrations are built for.)
This underwater wonderland is constructed from the bits and bobs abandoned on the ocean floor: a broken bicycle becomes a towing machine, a sieve becomes a rudder, empty bottles create a lovely wall, a stop-go light is a plant stand.
Leo’s books have a well-plotted stories, heroes to relate to, jokes and fine characters, too (keep your eye on the frog in this one). They are many-layered, offering opportunities to read, re-read, re-examine and explore. So a new mantra: “read, read, read!”
Elephant Island
by Leo Timmers
A shipwrecked elephant makes his tiny island a home for the many friends who come to the rescue, building increasingly intricate constructions that turn Elephant Island into a fun park for all. From New York Times Best Illustrated Book author/artist Leo Timmers.
“In yet another triumphant experiment for the award-winning Timmers, his medium — here different kinds of sponges, razor blades and paint rollers to create different kinds of textures — is the quintessential embodiment of his message: “the magic of happy accidents.” — The New York Times
Gus’s Garage
by Leo Timmers
Gus’s workshop is chock-full of odds and ends. One by one, his friends bring him their vehicle problems, and Gus finds just the thing to fix them. No job is too difficult! Effortlessly simple text, detailed illustrations, and vehicles galore.
“An amusing book to reread, since even the smallest details are assigned a narrative purpose. Clearly, one animal’s clutter is another pig’s livelihood in this buoyant, rhyming tale.” — The New York Times Book Review
Monkey on the Run
by Leo Timmers
A traffic jam becomes the ultimate playground for Monkey. In this exhilarating wordless picture book, he leaps down the street finding stories as he goes—each vehicle containing a world of activity, detail, and humor. A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book!
“Through it all, the curious little monkey remains admirable cool and mischievously confident—and as delighted by the surroundings as readers will be.” — starred, Publishers Weekly
Who’s Driving
by Leo Timmers
Who’s driving the fire engine? Elephant! He is driving to the fire station. Toot toot, toot toot! Who’s driving the racing car? Hare! He’s driving to the racing track. Vroo-oom! But who gets there first? Was it Cat? Giraffe, in her convertible? No, it’s the turtle, on his little legs. This is a perfect book to share with active toddlers, with puzzle-solving, interaction and humour.
The Monster in the Lake
by Leo Timmers
In this larger-than-life picture book, Eric the duck is nervous to swim in the lake for fear a monster might live there, but he bravely follows his friends and discovers something spectacular indeed lives beneath the surface.
“The bright artwork, created with acrylic paint and spray paint, contains whimsical details and makes great use of visual humor. With sparse text and large-scale illustrations, this is an ideal choice for toddlers and preschool storytimes that is clever enough to entertain adults, too.” — starred, Booklist
“Children who get their hands on this oversize, glossy delight, filled with made-to-linger details, will be lucky ducks indeed.” — starred, Publishers Weekly
See Leo Timmers’ takeover of our instagram and watch him talk about the making of The Monster in the Lake on our YouTube channel:
