The Story Behind The Stories
Having traveled extensively, series creator, Brittany Marie Cillo, found that most children’s books on the market about travel were meant to teach facts about other countries rather than the experiences felt when actually seeing them. She thus began to develop the Mr. Tim’s Travels series with the dream that her stories could showcase the genuine beauty of travel and depict the lessons we bring home with us when we dare to step outside our comfort zones. The resulting works are a pure passion project, all self-published by Ms. Cillo.
She made the creative choice to issue the books as a series so that each can present its own lesson within its own engaging read, as well as showcase varying parts of the world from the onset, from a little town, to Paris, France, to Udaipur, India. The books can be used at home or in a classroom to inspire curiosity and worldliness, spark conversations about life lessons and culture, or become a go-to favorite for reading practice.
We hope you and the children in your life enjoy Mr. Tim’s stories, and keep wondering where he will go next!
Mr. Tim’s Travels is a small, woman-owned business, and mrtimstravels.com is the only location where the series can be purchased.
The Creators
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Brittany Marie Cillo
Author and Publisher
Originally from Long Island, NY, Ms. Cillo began prioritizing travel at the age of 22, and the activity quickly became a passion. She graduated Stony Brook University with her Bachelors in 2015, but it was not until the idea for Mr. Tim’s Travels was developed in 2018 that she felt her true purpose take shape. She now resides in Philadelphia, PA, and continues to travel and write while working as the Director of Operations for Mason Meals Inc., a nonprofit sponsorship organization of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, helping to bring meals to over 2,000 children and adults in daycare facilities across the city.
Below, you will find images of Ms. Cillo’s travels that inspired the first set of the Mr. Tim’s Travels series, and some images of travels that she hopes will become future books!
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Allie Daigle
Illustrator
Ms. Cillo’s vision for Mr. Tim’s Travels was brought to life by artist, Allie Daigle. Ms. Daigle is an illustrator and graphic designer from Connecticut who specializes in Traditional Illustration, Digital Illustration, Watercolor, and Surrealism. Her illustrations, which focus on Cartooning, Portraiture, Organic Forms, and Abstract World-Building; take on a characteristic identity all their own, while her work in print-layout and design shine as stalwart examples of a meticulous attention-to-detail and an overarching compositional talent. Ms. Daigle is responsible for all front cover artwork, interior artwork, and page design for Mr. Tim’s Travels. You can learn more about her on alliedaigle.com.
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Lindy Smith
Graphic Design
Lindy Smith was enlisted by Ms. Cillo for her perfectionist eye to ensure all specs of the books were of a professional standard for print.
