Timely Umit Upturns Tim

"Tim again mustered up courage-his pulse pattering, he poked out his little head. Seeing a large head with two glassy yellow eyes stirred feelings of dread. A fang-decorated smile left him feeling vulnerable and cold. Tension in Timmy's tummy popped as the cat hissed, "Wow, what do I behold!"

In 1950s Turkey, along the banks of the Dalyan River, lives a timid, tender, tolerant, thankful, thoughtful yet socially awkward turtle. Poor Tim is misunderstood by the other animals, so he is a lonely, grumpy fellow. One day a monsoon causes the river to flood, sweeping Tim upstream where he is deposited on a furry striped rug- it's Umit, a tiger and potential predator who offers to help him. Should Tim trust Umit? Will Umit be a tiger of his word and deliver Tim home, or will Tim have the same fate as the classic gingerbread man? Can Tim's courage carry him to a new outlook? This charming children's book uses rhyme and the alliterative sounds of "T" words to help build vocabulary while also raising awareness of the plight of the Caspian tiger and loggerhead turtle.

Mary Catherine Rolston, a.k.a. Fairy Dazzle, has made it her lifelong passion to share a message of service, celebration and optimism. She began teaching in 1984 at the elementary level and retired in 2016. MC loves to write with rhyme. She lives with her husband on Bear Mountain, where she appreciates being close to nature while having easy access to the beautiful city of Victoria.

Timely Umit Upturns Tim is MC's sixth book. She also authored two business parables, The Executive Gardener and the Fairy (2004), and The Corporate Family (2010). Her poem "Fallen Starfish" placed 34th in the Writer Digest 5th Annual Poetry Awards in 2010.