The Tessy & Tab Fan Club

She's clapping for the new Syllable activity...

From Marisa, Haley's mom:

I wanted to write to tell you that my daughter, Haley (4yrs), just loves the new syllable section! Her dad caught her pulling out all her back issues of Tessy & Tab and looking through to see which ones had syllable pages. She caught on to the "syllable clapping" concept incredibly quickly, and it's now one of her favorite things to do.  (That's what she's doing in the photo below.)

 

And I'm so happy to report that she's now able to read the Tessy & Tab issues herself (largely due to Tessy & Tab!), though she still prefers us to read them to her.

 

Thanks so much, and keep up the great work!

Getting the mail on her "tippy toes"...

From Carrie, Madeline's mom:

Our daughter, Madeline (age 3 1/2) just LOVES receiving Tessy & Tab.  Every day when we check the mail, Madeline asks if any mail has come for her.  We always leave the new issue in the mailbox, so she can stand on her tippy toes and reach in and grab it. She absolutely loves to get her own mail and rips open the envelope as quick as she can.  We usually don't make it back into the house to check out the new issue....she sits right down on the front steps and starts "reading". Madeline has recently started sharing her Tessy & Tab magazines with her baby brother Carter.....too cute!!

Thank you for making the concepts of receiving personal mail and reading together such a great experience....we love Tessy & Tab!! Below is a photo of Madeline in front of our mailbox. She had to show great restraint not to rip this open before I snapped the photo!!

'Earn Allowance' Works...

From Grace, Keith's mom:

After Keith finished his first reading of "Earn Allowance" yesterday afternoon, he requested I create a job chart for him using the computer. We sat down and talked about what he can do himself and what he can do to help Mom and Dad. Right now, we have 11 tasks (like feed himself, read book to his little brother who is just 6 months old, etc.) and he can earn 5 cents for each task. He really did everything on the chart yesterday! So he earned $0.55. He even asked me to give him some magnets so that he can put the chart on the refrigerator door, just like Tessy and Tab! I hope it works for him (not just for a few days)!! I will let you know how he is doing with his job chart 1 month later.

One month later:

We have been using the weekly job chart for nearly 1 month now.  On Father's Day, we went cherry picking. He spent $5, for the admission from his allowance.  He was so proud!  We keep his old job chart as keepsake.

For sure, I will keep recommending Tessy and Tab to everyone I know! Below is a photo of Keith with some of his collection spread out on the floor.

Cute shoes, Peek-a-Bug, and a happy ending!

From Kathrin, Trevor's mom:

I just wanted to say thank you so much for Tessy and Tab. My 2 ½ -year old son, Trevor, loves his “Tessy Tab”.  He looks forward to receiving every issue when they arrive. He actually opens the package himself and says, “Mommy, my ‘Tessy Tab’ is here.” Every night before we go to bed, Trevor takes his “Tessy Tabs” out of my night stand drawer so I can read them to him. He loves looking for Peek-A-Bug and always asks me, “Why is Peek-A-Bug hiding behind there, Mommy?”. 

 

Recently, Trevor did not receive his Fire Station issue of “Tessy Tab”, so I sent an email stating what had happened. I attached a picture of Trevor wearing an interesting pair of shoes. Well, Judy responded stating that she would send a copy of the Fire Station issue and include an issue of “Tessy and Tab Shop For Shoes” because she liked the shoes Trevor was wearing.  When latest issues arrived, Trevor was so excited. I told him that we needed to take picture with all  of his “Tessy Tabs” and send it to you. He gathered all of them and placed them on his bed so that I could take the picture seen here.

 

I am so glad I discovered this important learning resource for my son. He not only learns his numbers, letters, and colors, but also comprehends the meaning of the stories. I like the paper quality and the size. The bright colors are cool also. I recommended Tessy and Tab to my coworker and she purchased a subscription for her son. He loves it too!

 

Thanks again!

"Reading" to her bear...

From Stacy, Gwendolyn's mom:

My daughter Gwendolyn will be 4 in September. She has been a Tessy and Tab subscriber for about 6 months. Several times each week she asks if she has any mail, which she never used to do before Tessy and Tab. She can spot the envelope through all the other mail and has a special spot near our front door where she opens her book. She will not do it anywhere else and mom and dad are not allowed to peek. She also absolutely loves the online portion. We cannot turn the computer on around her without promising to play Tessy and Tab.

Each night we have Gwendi and Mommy time. I lay down in bed with her and we read 3 to 5 stories of her choice. Just recently, she has started 'reading' Tessy and Tab to her Tommy Bear after I leave the room. When I heard her the first night, I thought she was playing and I was getting ready to go in and tell her it's time to go to sleep. But, when I saw her 'reading' the books to her Tommy Bear, I let her be and just watched. She was describing what was in all the pictures to her Tommy Bear. It was adorable. (And by the way, she was soooo excited that in the most recent issue, Tab gets to read 3 books at night like she does and Tessy sleeps with a teddy like she does.)

Last night I took this photo just after she fell asleep. Thanks for such a wonderful tool. Young minds are so full imagination and so eager to absorb new information. It is great to find something that encourages both.

Thanks again!

The gift that keeps on giving...

From Bonnie, Maci's mom:

My 2.5yr old daughter, Maci, loves Tessy & Tab. She has been receiving them for over a year (it was a gift from a family friend).  We read them so much that she can actually read some of the books to me (memorizing them of course). It is really cute. We have saved all of the books and she piles them up in her room. When it is time for bed she picks out a couple for my husband and me to read her.  When I get the mail she always asks me if there is a Tessy & Tab for her.

 

Thank you for providing such a wonderful experience for our family.

The Great Big Coloring Page...

From Kariane, Grace's mom:

My daughter Grace, 3, has loved getting her Tessy and Tab in the mail.  One of her favorite things to do is color the back page.  After she rips open the envelope, we sit down and read it right away.  As soon as we are done, she gets her crayons out of her art drawer and colors the coloring page.  When the new issue came with the new format, she was a little confused.  But after I explained the new way to get coloring pages online she was very excited to have such a great big coloring page that was separate from the story.  She colored and cut it until it was “perfect”. Thank you for giving us so many new and fun options to learn and create!  Tessy and Tab are here to stay in our house! I've included a photo of Grace's first "big" coloring page project...

From a former English teacher...

From Kathleen, Reagan's mom:

Each day, no matter if we've just received our latest issue or if it's been over a week, Reagan joins us at the mail box and says, "Maybe my Tessy and Tab has arrived?"  She's really taken to this magazine much more so than the Highlights High Five magazine (the new version that's made for 2-5 year olds.)  She is 3 1/2 and LOVES to 'read'....and thanks to your booklet, is truly finding success in word identification!  As a former English teacher, I've enjoyed having something meaningful and useful to share with Reagan as we teach her to read and write!

Raising a reader on Tessy & Tab...

From Robin, Autumn's mom:

Autumn has been receiving Tessy and Tab since before she was able to read and it has remained among her favorites.  She just turned 5 in April and began reading on her own earlier in the year so it is an exciting time for her and Tessy and Tab magazines/books are wonderful.  We just put them right on the bookshelf and keep them all, so it adds to our at-home library and Autumn gets to read them again and again.  Recently, she pulled out one of the issues where Tessy and Tab make masks and decided to do it herself too.  It was fun.

Her favorite thing, lately, has been to recreate Tessy and Tab adventures with her own animals and figurines.  She usually begins with a story line from one of the issues and then weaves in her own details and ideas and ends up with quite an adventure and attentively playing for 20-30 minutes. 

To say that we enjoy Tessy and Tab and find them useful and valuable, especially now that Autumn is a beginning reader, is an understatement and the excitement goes well beyond Autumn enjoying getting her own mail.  We were delighted to send a gift subscription to one of our nieces for her birthday in February and hear that she's enjoying them too.

Oh, and I think we'll enjoy the questions more than the coloring page.  Autumn never wanted to color hers because she views them as books rather than magazines so I think it was a good and value added move that will benefit all the young minds who enjoy Tessy and Tab.

From a very satisfied and grateful Momma...

From Macki's mom, Randi:

My 2 year old daughter, Mackenzie who we call Macki, received a subscription to Tessy and Tab for her 2nd birthday in February from her Uncle Andy and Aunt Sissy. Since she received her very 1st issue, every time we check the mail she asks, "Mail Momma? Mail for Macki? Mine Tetty n Tab, yes, please?!" She LOVES her "Tetty n Tab" so much and is very excited to find "Pik-a-bee" in each issue!

When we go to the doctor or to church or somewhere shes going to need to sit still and quiet for a while I pack her little backpack with snacks and some quiet things to do. First on the list, after her 2 lovies of course, is at least 5 or 6 of her Tessy and Tab books. So not only is Macki a huge fan, but so am I!

Thank you so much for your wonderful Tessy and Tab books!

Josh Loves to Share with his friends...

From Josh's mommy, Laurie:

I wanted to let you know that I love the new outline of your magazine. I think it will be a lot more educational for my son and we look forward to it coming in the mail every 2 weeks. Thank you for the magazine.

I've attached a picture of my 3 1/2 year old son Josh sharing his book with one of our neighbors who could be a future subscriber!!! He loves his Tessy and Tab books and loves to share them with his friends. Thank you again for this great treat.

Still excited to get mail after 2 years!

From Caroline's mom, Tracy:

My daughter, Caroline, who recently turned 5, absolutely loves her Tessy and Tab books. We have been subscribing for approximately 2 years, and my daughter has grown so much in that time. In the beginning, we read the books to her and she colored the pages. Now, she can read almost the entire book on her own. I love how you repeat words from book to book (for instance, you leave the teacher's name constant). I was excited to hear that your new issue is about money -- my daughter just started getting an allowance about a month ago, so it's very timely for us. As always, she will be excitedly awaiting her next issue!

The "big girl" journey....

From Helena's mom, Shawna:

Tessy and Tab books have been a part of my daughter’s world since she was three. As I send her off to kindergarten this fall, I know that Tessy and Tab have been a part of her preparation for this “big girl” journey. We look forward to receiving Tessy and Tab as she learns to read this year. Thanks so much!

Turning off the TV "just like Tessy & Tab"...

From Abby's mom, Sarah:

My 3 year old, Abby, loves Tessy and Tab! Every time a new issue comes, she saves it for her bedtime story and loves to hear it over and over. Her favorite thing to do is find Peek-a-Bug. She's better at it than I am! We recently got the issue about turning off the TV, and Abby really related to this. She loved the outside activities they did instead, and now when I want her to turn off the TV, she says "just like Tessy and Tab"!

Thanks so much for making reading fun.

Kids help spread the word about Tessy & Tab...

From Nancy, Maren's grandmother:

When I was in Portland in April with my daughter-in-law and her 2 children, two year old Riley (Darcy’s daughter) was excitedly showing two year old Maren (my granddaughter) all her Tessy and Tab books.  I read them all to them both (MANY TIMES) and could see that there was something special about getting your own mail and looking for Peek-a-bug, etc. 

I gladly purchased a gift subscription and now Maren gets her own copy here in Connecticut. I think reading is the most important thing you can do with a child, so this is right up my alley!  Maren feels very special when her copy arrives and can’t wait to tell me about the latest one when she comes to visit.  Two and a half is a tough age in many ways, but sitting still for a story is one of the wonderful milestones.

I've included a photo of Maren showing her little brother Jack her new tote bag from Tessy and Tab complete with a story about the beach. She called me (her grandmother) to tell me how excited she was about receiving her latest book and especially, the bag where she can store the latest copies of Tessy and Tab. 

Thank you so much. Keep up the good work. I know this is a good thing.

Attentive customer service helped me get a gift on time!

From Anna's mom, Jennifer:

Last week I had problems completing my transaction on our website. Thanks to your attentive customer service, I was able to order a Tessy & Tab Reading Club Starter Kit just in time for the birthday of my daughter's schoolmate.

The gift was such a hit that I've ordered 2 more Starter Kits to give as gifts for her schoolmates turning 4 years old.

Thanks again for all of your help! Keep up the good work.

Note: Anna is a current subscriber and Jennifer tells me that if you ask Anna how old she is she will tell you that she is "three-and-a-third"!

Madison wants Pizza on the airplane too...

From Madison's mom, Kristina:

My daughter Madison, 28 months old, loves getting her Tessy & Tab books in the mail!  This is really the only piece of mail she receives addressed just to her. The label says "Happy Reading from Mommy, Daddy, & Makenna!"   Madison thinks it is very cool that it includes her sister's name too!

Since Madison was 3 months old, we have taken her on numerous airplane trips to go on vacation.  She has always done a great job flying but we always still talk about it before we go the airport each time so she isn't scared and knows what to expect.

I have to tell you how great it was for her to have her Tessy & Tab Airplane Trip book to not only read before we went on the airplane but also on the airplane!  It was PERFECT to use as a guide to what would happen along our entire journey!  She even helped to pick out which of her Tessy & Tab books she was going to bring in her carry-on suitcase just like Tessy did!  The only part that made her sad was wondering why Tessy & Tab got to eat pizza on the airplane and her Mommy had packed her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and applesauce to eat!!

Thanks so much for finding a very cool way to introduce children to different real-life situations and letting them truly relate to Tessy & Tab's adventures!  My husband and I could not be happier with the content of the books and the extent to which

Madison learns from each story. She loves her books and we can't wait for her sister to get a little older and enjoy the books as much as Madison does!

Here is a picture of Madison reading her Tessy & Tab Airplane Trip book on the airplane!

Special request from a 3-year old...

                  ***** Weekly Winner *****

From Eva's mom, Carmi:

First, I want to tell you that Eva (almost 4 now) loves getting mail and she LOVES her growing collection of magazines. I told her I would write to you with a request: she's noticed that her name on the address label doesn't end in an 'a'.  Well, it does end in an 'a', but not one she recognizes.  Is there any way you could use a different font for the addresses so that the lower case 'a' is the style that young kids recognize? I suppose this will be an even bigger issue for her little brother, Isaac!

By the way, we love the magazine -- you've done a great job with it. We tell everyone about it.

From Judy Johnston, CEO and Publisher of Tessy & Tab:

Thanks for writing! Your story confirms something we've felt to be true since we began publishing in 2002 - very young children really care about what their name looks like. It's the main reason that we brought all of our data management in-house and online. We found that data entry people in big fulfillment houses are not careful enough. Plus, we go the extra step to have the addresses printed in larger than typical letters so that it's easier for a young child to recognize their own name.

Two years ago we arranged to have a new "a" created for the typeface we use inside the magazine for exactly the reason you've outlined. We had not looked into the specifics of the font for our address labels but with Eva's concern as our motivation, we spoke with our vendor who prints the labels. They did a little research and found a font that uses the "one-story a" that Eva will recognize and the font change will be made on our next issue.

Please be sure and tell Eva "thank you" for bringing this to our attention -- you have helped us solve a problem that likely is noticed by lots of kids!

We checked back with Carmi after a couple of issues with the new address font were mailed:

Yes, Eva noticed the change immediately.  In fact, that was the first thing she said, "Look mom, they spelled my name right!"  Thank you so much for making the effort to make that change.  It was clearly very important to Eva.

I snapped a photo of Eva the last time Tessy & Tab arrived.  It's a little fuzzy but this is pretty much her expression EVERY time a Tessy & Tab arrives.

 

 

D-O-O-R, just like my Tessy & Tab

                  ***** Weekly Winner *****

From Adam's mom, Andra:

When I got the last Grown-Up Guide email, I told Adam that his new Tessy and Tab was on its way and that it was about puddles.  Everyday since he has asked "Can we check the mail to see if my Tessy and Tab is here?"  "They are playing in puddles with their boots and playing with boats in the water". 

It really is amazing how much he loves these books! He can already read one of the books all by himself (with a little help on the big words) and he's only 3.5!  I am truly amazed at what a great product these books are.  He is also recognizing words other places from his books.  The other day he was getting out of the car and there is the little child lock button on the inside of the car door and it was labeled "child door lock" and he pointed at the word door and said "D-O-O-R, just like in my Tessy and Tab book".  Sorry to have rambled on, I just wanted you to know how much he loves his books.

The 4-minute bedtime routine...

From Sophie's mom, Kate:

We've been subscribers for almost a year and my daughter Sophie really enjoys them. We've learned some valuable lessons like cleaning up toys to give to others or being prepared to go to the dentist. But one of my favorite things about Tessy & Tab is that you can read 4 or 5 issues in less that 5 minutes! It makes my daughter happy to read more books and it makes me happy because we can do it quickly and get the kids to bed. 

We've given several friends the birthday pack and they have been LOVING their issues! I always tell the moms they will be so happy to have something that takes 4 minutes to read at bedtime when you need to read 7 books.... :-)!