CM Magazine: Tikko Travels: Dorian’s Story.

________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIV Number 39. . . .June 8, 2018

cover
Tikko Travels: Dorian’s Story.

Christine Frances Poe. Illustrated by Jean Wilson.
Burlington, ON: christine@tikka.ca, 2017.
32 pp., pbk., $20.00.
ISBN 978-0-9918256-1-5.

Grades 2 and up / Ages 7 and up.

Review by Bev Brenna.

**½ /4

excerpt:

In an enchanted place far, far away (let’s call it Burlington”), there lives a very special young boy named Dorian.

There are many reasons why Dorian is considered ‘special’. No, he’s not a super hero. He doesn’t have magical powers. Yet to some, Dorian has the ability to change the world in a very positive way!

So begins this picture book by Christine Frances Poe, an Autism Awareness Advocate whose son lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Tikko Travels is the true story of how nine-year-old Dorian decided to send his plush polar bear around the world in order to raise awareness about autism. “Tikko”, his furry belly sporting a vest saying Autism: It’s Okay to be Different, has travelled to over 54 countries, met celebrities, skydived 10,000 feet, and even flown with Commander Chris Hadfield and the Canadian Snowbirds.

Sensitively illustrated in color by first-time picture book artist Jean Wilson, the book also contains patchwork pages of photographs depicting the real Tikko on his adventures. This is indeed a journey of hope, compassion, courage, and a desire to make the world a better place. While the mark of self-publishing is evident in aspects of punctuation and formatting, many families will take inspiration from this story, and it is noteworthy that, for every book sold, a portion of the proceeds is directed to autism organizations.

Recommended.

Bev Brenna is the author of 11 books for young people including The White Bicycle, third in a trilogy about a character with ASD and shortlisted for a 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award.

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