The Magical Life of Mr. Renny
Written and illustrated by Leo Timmers
This is a book about making choices. Mr. Renny, a dog, is a very good artist, his drawings look so much like the real thing that it is hard to tell them apart However, like many artists, he is not having much success selling his paintings. Mr. Renny is granted a wish that turns his life around, a wish that allows him to have whatever he wants, but, alas, he soon finds himself bored. This book reminded me somewhat of the King Midas story but being written in a way that will definitely appeal to second grade readers.
The drawings are delightful eye candy, with many details to explore. The story is adventurous and witty. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to have anything you could dream up?
There are many beautifully depicted objects to help the second graders increase their reading comprehension, reading skills and putting words in context.
What is friendship worth? What did Mr. Renny really want in his life? While traveling around the world was fun, it was lonely. This would be a good book to bring about discussions of what is important in life, to understand the concept of the value of things versus people and relationships.
Author and illustrator Leo Timmers started out his career as an artist, which can be seen in his extraordinary drawings that almost pop off the page with all the bright colors. This book was originally titled Meneer Rene and was intended to pay tribute to the Belgian artist Rene Magritte, who is famous for his use of color and surrealism.
Title: The Magical Life of Mr. Renny- Copyright, text, and illustrations: Leo Timmers
- Translated by: Bill Naglelkerke
- Publisher: Gecko Books
- Reviewer: Carole Robishaw
- Hardcover and Paperback: 30 pages
- ISBN: 978-1-877579-21-2 Hardback
- ISBN: 978-1-877467-89-9 Paperback
- Genre: Fantasy/Fiction