Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Jenny Mooney!
Storyteller and author, Dr Jenny Mooney, proudly shares her inspiring picture book, Timi Takes Off; a timely and courageous tale based on the development, flight (and plight) of the famous Peregrine falcons in Melbourne’s CBD. Watch the fledglings in action via the YouTube videos below. In her book, Timi the baby falcon finds himself overwhelmed with the bustle of the noisy city, unable to leave his ledge. With Jenny’s evocative language and illustrator and architect, Mikko Lindell‘s striking, sharp, and creatively designed illustrations in this cityscape setting, this book evokes the strength and courage Timi needs to grasp on his journey towards independence and belonging.
Thank you for sharing this remarkable story with us, Jenny! 🙂
About the Author
Jenny Mooney respects and appreciates the value of the written word. Undeterred by age, she gained an Associate Diploma of Arts in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT, Melbourne and forged on to complete, in her late sixties, a PhD in Gender Studies at La Trobe University.
Jenny is a gifted storyteller. Her four grandchildren have been the beneficiaries of the whimsy and wonder behind her magical, made-up tales that always involve animals.
And Jenny loves all creatures great and small; in particular, birds in need. She hand-raised a nestling magpie who fell out of its nest, that survived to become a beloved, if meddlesome, family pet.
Today, in her late eighties, Jenny is surrounded by her loving family, border collies, friends, books – and yes, cheeky birds who visit her back door for a feed.
Please find Jenny Mooney on Instagram.
Timi Takes Off is available for purchase via Amazon.
Half of Melbourne is watching the progress of the three peregrine falcon fledglings at the moment.
WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?
The creative duo behind Timi Takes Off are: Writer – Jenny Mooney, super Nanna and bird lover. Illustrator – Michael (Mikko) Lindell, architect. Of course, in order to launch such a book, it requires a strong set of wings. Jenny Kiley and Guy Harrison acted as editors and brought together page settings and illustrations to complete the book and present it to Amazon for publication.
WHAT is it about?
Baby Peregrin falcon, Timi, finds himself in a confounding world. You see, his Mum and Dad raised him in a bustling, crowded, noisy CBD – a place so foreign to his instincts. Timi finds himself wedged between skyscrapers amid city pollution with strange smells and disturbing noises. Inherently, this raptor can’t leave his nest’s ledge.
This is despite the fact that Peregrine falcons are the fastest creatures on earth. They are superb gliders, and they swoop and dive at unbelievable speeds. But not our Timi. He is stuck. He is afraid. Who does it take to encourage this bird to face what is before him and to take flight?
‘Fem and Timi kept their adventure to themselves. It was their very own secret.
Still, Timi’s talons gripped the window ledge.’
What is your favourite part of this book?
My favourite part of this book is when Timi achieves the expectancy of remarkable flying ability:
‘Timi’s chest bulged with pride.’
WHEN did you begin writing this book?
Like tens of thousands of Victorians, I’ve long-since followed with intrigue and a sense of protection the falcons nesting in Melbourne’s CBD. I knew there was a story in this. I had also completed a PhD in gender studies at the age of 68 and felt I needed a little levity and break from the intensity of scholastic writing. My inspiration came, too, when I realised so many children (and adults) were coming to this country to find new beginnings from other countries, cultures, religions, languages, food, smells, and general surroundings, yet many felt lost and dislocated.
Who was helping them overcome the trauma of a new-look life?
When is its release / launch date?
Timi Takes Off was published in November 2024 on Kindle e-book and paperback format with the help of Jenny Kiley and Guy Harrison. The book is easily available from Amazon, either in digital or print form. I’d be thrilled if just one child found guidance and comfort from reading about Timi.
WHERE did the inspiration for this book come from?
My father, in the late 1920s, accepted a job on a weather reporting station on the remote Willis Island off the Queensland coast. Only three men lived on the island for six months. It was a chance for my father to make some money as he wanted to get married, and Australia heaved under the despair of WW1 and the Great Depression.
I learnt from my father to be aware of birds, to listen to them, to watch and care for them.
He told me about the thousands of migratory birds who rested on Willis Island during their long flights to the far north. One day, an injured bird could not ‘take off’ with his kind because he had an injured wing. My father picked him up and nurtured him to regain his strength, which took some weeks. During those weeks, this bird hopped after my father all over the island; it slept perched on my father’s bedhead. One night, my father told me his new little mate was particularly restless and sang out all the notes it knew, annoying the other men trying to sleep. It was the next morning that the bird was gone. He was trying to tell my father it was time he had to follow his instincts.
My father was a storyteller. He never read books to me, rather he told me, over and over, his own creative stories, some from real life, others evolved from his keen imagination. Remembering his many stories enlightened me to consider Timi being in a similar situation to my father’s migratory companion.
WHY is this book meaningful to you? Why would its message resonate with readers?
Every single human has suffered moments, days, and even years when they feel disoriented, out-of-place, not belonging. Perhaps reading about Timi could help them be brave and seek what is in their soul to accept and overcome the sense of being ‘different.’
I read to school children, and in reading about Timi, often a small child will tell me they feel kind of ‘wrong’ where they are. In our times of social media, much more is expected of children to question their lives, and themselves, and if they belong:
‘For all the creatures on earth who feel lonely and lost. Know there is a place for you.’ ‘Anyone who suffers from not feeling comfortable and confident in their environment also feels unsafe.’
HOW do you feel about the illustrations / cover design? How do they convey the feeling or mood you envisioned?
Mikko Lindell draws all day. It is his passion. From designing magnificent high-rise buildings in many countries throughout the world, Mikko understood Timi and accepted the challenge of bringing the confused bird to life on the pages.
His illustrations are superb. Whenever I asked Mikko for a particular image to capture a moment, he accomplished what I wanted with ease. Falcons are neither pretty nor cute. They have baggy trousers, huge eyes, dishevelled feathers and mean beaks. Nevertheless, Mikko makes our readers love this baby bird and be able to relate to his plight.
How have you promoted this book and how can we find it?
All my friends readily sought copies of Timi Takes Off from Amazon. Some of the children asked that my book be added to their school libraries, and apparently the book has been popular in these libraries. Family , friends and people I meet through my appreciation of birds, all were enthusiastic about Timi’s predicament. Last week was Bird Week, and I took part in the daily Bird Count throughout Australia.
What an inspiring story about Timi and the Peregrine falcons! Thank you, Jenny! 🙂
#thequicksixinterview #timitakesoff #peregrinefalcons #belonging #courage #picturebooks #justkidslit
