Tommy Tui’s Journey
Welcome to the site of Tommy Tui and all his bird and animal friends. Along with the flowers and trees of the beautiful country of New Zealand, they are the subject of the book Tommy Tui’s Journey.
Written and published by Taffy Parry, Tommy Tui’s Journey is full of humorous anecdotes and images, and has received a considerable number of positive comments and reviews from librarians, teachers and parents.
The book feels at home on any coffee table, and whatever the age of the recipients it is a gift that will cause one to think, to remember, to laugh and enjoy — giving a copy to someone is like giving “Miles of smiles and smiles for miles”!
… And wait, there’s more! The second half of Tommy Tui’s journey is soon to be published!
About the Author
Taffy Parry recently retired from marketing and designing products, the latter 20 years being spent creating equipment for children with special needs. He decided to enjoy his penchants and his empathy with nature’s world, capturing images of life in his garden and in the country. He uses these in a unique and humorous format to help educate and entertain children and people of all ages.
Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a clown,
He came from Wales to tell some tales
with Bic for quill
and Canon to click
he painted a colourful lovely novel
T’was about his ‘plume-ing’ neighbourhood
Their beaks, their wings, their feathers too
The tails he left till last to do
He joined their morning singalongs
And loved the Tui’s chortling, trilling songs
From nest, alas, he saw young Tommy Tui, in free fall
So lucky was he as the tree was tall
And Taffy was there to catch him in the air,
Safe, just as if he was the heir to Barry John …
Today …
Tommy Tui roams the forest free
His fame spread wide from leaf to leaf
He sings amongst the tall, tall trees
About a friendship made between man and he.
Taffy
© 2008 DePict
This poem recently won the Ellen Griffin Memorial Cup in a poetry competition run by the Wellington Welsh Society.
Taffy (Alwyn Parry) is originally from Caernarfon and for a story about his early days in Wales, click here.
Taffy is also a very talented photographer. You can see many more of photos taken in New Zealand and around the world by visiting his photogallery at www.flickr.com/photos/46398110@N05/.