“Tommy the Dinosaur and The Invisible Walrus”

This post is sponsored by Delta Books and contains an affiliate link.

“Tommy The Dinosaur and The Invisible Walrus” by John Ruffaine and Taylor Litonjua

This is the sweet story about a little dinosaur named Tommy who notices a lonely walrus in the park one day on the way to school.  The puzzling thing that Tommy notices about this walrus is that nobody else seems to be able to see him except Tommy.  Therefore he decides that he must be invisible.  After proposing this idea to his friends who tease him, Tommy goes to his mom who explains that the walrus is homeless and that sometimes people ignore people or things that they do not understand.  Empowered with this knowledge, Tommy sets out to make a positive difference and learns how far a friendly gesture and little acknowledgment can go.

This book makes a wonderful introduction to children about homelessness.  I love how it tackles a common issue about how often homeless people are ignored and may even feel invisible.  I love how Tommy is accompanied and guided by his mother through his journey.  I love that Tommy realizes that he has the power to make a difference that can be great no matter how small it seems and I love that you get a glimpse of the ripple effect at the end of the story.

Click here to purchase “Tommy the Dinosaur and The Invisible Walrus”

The illustrations and writing style are matter-of-fact and easily understandable for children.  Coupled with a few discussion questions at the end it really does make a great launching point for opening conversation with your kids and helping them to learn empathy.  After reading this book I thought it would be wonderful to share it with my older toddler and talk with him about the issue of homelessness on his level.  Then I thought it would be wonderful if perhaps, like Tommy, I showed him that he could make a difference and that he could help.

I decided to look up some local homeless shelters for ideas and came across one that temporarily houses families including children.  I thought that would be an especially good fit for us because it would be more relatable for my child to know he is helping other children.  Then I read that they had a literacy program.  Perfect for donating books too!  Therefore, after reading and discussing this book with my little guy I explained that he was going to help some homeless children in our city by going with us to donate some books.

When it came time to go he seemed to have a solid understanding of what we were doing and was excited to take part.  I think that too often we underestimate what children can comprehend and the capabilities they have in impacting their community for good.  “Tommy the Dinosaur and the Invisible Walrus” is a book out on a mission to make a difference and our kids can be too.