Customer Reviews

Timothy Tugbottom Says No!

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This book rested on the bookshelf in the therapeutic playroom at a special education preschool where I counseled. A particularly stubborn 4 year old child noticed it one day, and he intuitively took it off of the shelf and asked me to read it. This child normally had difficulty maintaining a conversation, and especially discussing emotions.

As we read the book, he was eager to talk about Timothy's feelings, ask questions about his motivations, and make sure that I read every word. He would flip back to pages he could particularly identify with (for instance, Timothy's expression of anger when he knocks blocks over in the illustration). He clearly identified with Timothy, and as we read it he became more relaxed and expressive. It became his ritual to request this book prior to engaging in any other play, but the repetitive nature was therapeutic rather than obsessive, because each time we read it, he softened a bit more. He was slowly addressing his strong resistance to change, on terms that were comforting and acceptable to him, and after we read it he would often accept new play suggestions or select a toy other than his preferred trains (this was huge for him).

Eventually he didn't need to read the book each session, only to reference it or point at it. Sometimes when he resisted something or said "no" during our play interactions he would pause, look me in the eye and say "Timothy Tugbottom says no?" then change his behavior, soften his attitude or smile knowingly and say "Timothy Tugbottom doesn't like new things!" and he would immediately feel better. The only thing I needed to do throughout this process was read, listen, answer his questions, and acknowledge his emotions when he did choose to express them.

There is no judgment of Timothy's resistance to change in this book, there are no serious power struggles between parent and child, there is only an account of a child who is afraid of and resistant to change, and then overcomes that on his terms. The book may seem to simplify things too much for some people's taste, and Timothy's change of heart might seem too quick to some readers--but I think it just serves to show children that they can and will have a change of heart in their own time, when they feel safe enough. It also lets a child know that embracing the change may even feel good.

Sometimes all it takes for a child to accept a small change is to have their feelings validated by finding another child (or a character in a book) that they can identify with. I highly recommend this book for parents, teachers or therapists who would like to help children come to this realization themselves.

Timothy is an appealing and all too familiar protagonist to many people who know children. Resistant to change of any kind, he rejects any well-meant attempts to vary his menu, his wardrobe, his routine. Anne Tyler carefully paces his gradual awakening in this believable and satisfying tale. Mitra Modarressi's illustrations are wittily enchanting.

There is a tweet-sized summary on the book's copyright page that explains its plot: Timothy Tugbottom likes his old pants, old crib, old bedtime story, and old breakfast, until he realizes that new things can be good too.

At age 6 or so Timothy has become awfully closed minded and has turned into a something of a recluse (even refusing to attend the birthday party of one of his two best friends!) This is not dissimilar to the condition of the adult recluses Tyler portrays in her novels, such as Macon Leary in "The Accidental Tourist," Maryam Yazdan in "Digging to America, and Liam Pennywell in "Noah's Compass." There is one stark difference, though, since growing children must confront as frequently as every day what sequestered adults can escape for decades: a new reality, and new social and cultural demands. While Tyler's grown protagonists usually follow a long, slow process until their protective shells crack open a wee bit, in the case of young Timothy all it takes is one final unpleasant night in his outgrown crib for him to rejoin the world as an active, bigger boy participant. The reviewer who complained Timothy's turnaround "is too fast" must not know any children.

I found two items of note. Tyler seems overly fastidious in reminding the reader that key interactions are occurring on a Saturday. She mentions Saturday five times. In part this is a nod to the fact that most families have time to be together (to enjoy a leisurely breakfast for example) only on the weekend. But it also allows Sunday to be the day on which Timothy wakes up as a renewed child ready to start a different life (marked with the fresh taste of a sweet blueberry muffin.)

The other notable feature appears in Modarressi's illustrations. Timothy's mother, who is pictured seven times, is pregnant. She is, as the old expression goes, big with child. So one of your tasks will be to decide whether, and if so when and how, to point this out to the child you are reading the story to. If you yourself are about to bring a new sibling into the life of your avid listener, this could spark a good conversation tying the world of the book back to your child's world.

Also be sure to check out the newspaper headline in the picture on page 8, foreshadowing the story's end.

All in all this second Tyler/Modarressi (mother/daughter) collaboration (Tumble Tower was their first) is a terrific addition to your shelf of children's books. So when can we expect a third?

Our grand kids love this book and it has been read many times to them. It helps with two year olds that always hear or want to say no to everything or don't want to try things.