Meet A Member: Tim Thomas
His manatee books entertain and educate
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A manatee rescue in South Florida inspired Tim Thomas to create a "get-well card" (at right). The author and illustrator went on to create A Manatee Christmas and Buddy Manatee. (Photo and illustration courtesy of Tim Thomas.)
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Pick up a book by Tim Thomas and you can’t help but be attracted to the comical nature of the drawings and heartwarming stories that appeal to an audience young and old alike. You’re having so much fun, you hardly notice there’s a message there that’s meant to educate the reader. But Thomas has educated thousands of them.
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| A young manatee wishes for a world where he can swim undisturbed in A Manatee Christmas by Tim Thomas. (Illustration courtesy of Tim Thomas.) |
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His most recent release, A Manatee Christmas, is the charming tale of a manatee disturbed by the trash, harassment, and heavy boat traffic. He wishes for a world where manatees can swim freely in clean waters. An earlier book, Buddy Manatee, is the story of a young manatee separated from his mom after he is hit by a boat and rescued.
“Manatees are defenseless creatures that man has put into a terrible situation,” says Thomas. “I believe most people want to do the right thing but don’t know where to start or simply don’t have the time to make it a priority.”
It was a 1994 manatee rescue in South Florida that first inspired the Panama City, Florida, author and illustrator. “I sent a ‘get-well card’ that I had illustrated to the manatee via Save the Manatee Club,” said Thomas. “[Then Executive Director] Judith Vallee saw it and asked me to create a magazine ad with my cartoon manatee in it. She told me I should illustrate a calendar or children’s books about manatees using my character.”
"Remember that small things can make a big difference. If you don’t believe this is true, try going to sleep with a mosquito in the room."
--Tim Thomas
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Thomas was a commercial art instructor at the time, and Vallee’s remarks got him thinking. “My mother was an assistant librarian at a local elementary school and had always suggested I do children’s illustrations,” he said. With the support of his wife, Terri, Thomas started toying with the idea of creating a manatee book. Then he found out he was about to become a father, and he decided to get busy.
“Being an artist and not a writer I drew the pictures for the book first and then looked for a story,” says Thomas. It was just before Christmas and I asked myself, ‘What would a manatee want for Christmas?’” Using information provided by Save the Manatee Club and the late Dr. Jesse White, a veterinarian and manatee specialist, Thomas wrote the words to A Manatee Christmas all in one night to the cadence of ‘Twas the Night before Christmas.
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In Buddy Manatee, a young manatee is rescued after being hit by a boat. The name of the character was inspired by a manatee toy that son Tanis (above with Dad) had when he was young. (Photo and illustration courtesy of Tim Thomas.)
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As a teacher and new father, funds were an issue, so Thomas and his wife decided to self-publish the book as a one-color paperback. The book was a huge success and sold out the first printing. The success of A Manatee Christmas was followed Buddy Manatee in 2001, which became an instant hit. “I found out boat collisions were the primary reason for deaths to manatees,” said Thomas. He thought the story needed to be told. Son Tanis had a stuffed manatee the family called his “little buddy,” and thus Buddy Manatee was born.
Comical and friendly looking, Thomas’s manatee illustrations delightfully capture the lumbering nature of the aquatic mammals. If they remind you of a favorite dog, it’s no accident. “When Terri and I were dating, she owned a dog named Coco,” says Thomas. “Coco was a chocolate brown Shar Pei; the really wrinkled kind of dog. Well, Coco was a walking cartoon and being a cartoonist I drew her a lot. One day I drew a big paddle tail on an illustration of Coco, ‘fluffed’ her up a bit and POOF – manatee.”
Asked what he enjoys most about his work, Thomas replies, “Interacting with the kids! This is the age of total imagination, fun and fantasy, and new discoveries. They are learning new things about themselves and the world around them. They still can be and do anything. To stand in front of them and read a story is a real joy.”
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Illustration from A Manatee Christmas by Tim Thomas.
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“Educating kids on how to care, how to be responsible and that they are accountable for what they do or don’t do, are the most important lessons we can teach them,” he continues. “Caring for all wildlife is our responsibility and if we aren’t good stewards with nature we will be accountable for the loss of nature’s biggest gift – life. In my opinion, for man to survive, nature must be held in the highest regard.”
And Thomas encourages kids to get involved. In a reader’s note at the end of Buddy Manatee, he writes, “Let’s not lose the manatee. Help make a difference in the lives of these animals, no matter how small the effort. Remember that small things can make a big difference. If you don’t believe this is true, try going to sleep with a mosquito in the room.”
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Rosie is the manatee adopted by the Tim, Terri, and Tanis Thomas. Rosie lives year-round at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and is described as the "matriarch" of the springs by park staff. She is known to be very gentle, and she often looks after the younger manatees at the park.
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Get More Info
Tim Thomas has partnered with Mark Trawick and Robert Huffman to establish Magic Mirror Books, LLC. Their vision is to create and publish books, particularly beginning reader and children’s stories, that reveal the beauty of life in all forms, but with emphasis in capturing the natural environment. For more information, go to MagicMirrorBooks.com.
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