The Tessy & Tab Fan Club

Tessy & Tab on Vacation in Wisconsin...

From Renee, Bailey's mom:

Below is a picture of my daughter Bailey who is 3 years old.  It was taken on our summer vacation at Lake Lawn Lodge in Wisconsin a few weeks back.

Her Tessy and Tab books accompany us wherever we go.  Keep up the good work!

Nicky *NEEDS* a tote bag...

From Iris, Nichole's grandmother:

Nicky is 4 and she loves your books. She is always carrying around a stack of them so we will read to her. She looks forward to getting them in the mail. I want to thank whoever came up with the idea for these books. Nicky loves to have them read to her over and over again. She has saved all of them since I started the subscription.

 

I know Nicky would LOVE to have her own Tessy and Tab tote bag. When she tries to carry about 20 Tessy and Tab books at one time, she is always dropping them along the way. A special tote bag for her special books would be perfect! Thanks again and keep up the good work!

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 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...

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!

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.... :-)!

Getting to know Tessy & Tab

From Theo's mom, Cathy:

Theo liked looking at the Tessy & Tab magazines immediately but it was after he had received 2 or 3 in the mail that his excitement about it really took off. When a new one arrives he immediately tears open the envelope and lays on his stomach on the floor and pages through it.  The Play in Puddles issue arrived yesterday and we’ve already read it a half dozen times.  We looked for the rain hat, the bench etc. and counted the boats and boots.  We read a lot anyway but it has been really fun to watch him get to know Tessie & Tab and be excited about it.

Santa gets a request for Tessy & Tab...

From Ally's mom, Kristy:

I first heard about Tessy & Tab from another mom on a listserve that I read.  After the great reviews, I checked out your website and decided to give a subscription to my daughter Ally (age 3 at the time - now 4 1/2) for Christmas.  We had no idea how she might take to it as each child seems to have different reactions to toys/books, etc. Let's just say that it was and continues to be the biggest hit in our home!! When Christmas came this past year she only asked for 2 things - Tessy & Tab and a new umbrella. She even told Santa when we went to visit him in December. 

I know she'd probably love to get a book everyday in the mail if she could, however, it's given her a sense of time to receive them twice a month. All her Tessy & Tab books are kept in a special basket and she is quite protective of them. Lately she has begun to 'read' them to her younger sister who just turned 3. 

We can't thank you enough for the joy you provide to our daughter through Tessy and Tab, not to mention the wonderful learning that she receives in each issue.  I just wish you could see the jumping up and down and Tessy and Tab chanting that we experience every time she spots an issue in the mail.  Your books have been more than we could have ever asked for and I know that we will continue to be loyal customers until our littlest has outgrown her own subscription.

Thank you for such a fabulous product.  I tell all my friends about it whenever I get a chance.  Keep up the great work!

Magical Impact on the Mailman...

From Kalia's mom, Diane:

My daughter, Kalia (age 5), has had a blast with your magazine.  She sees a new issue as soon as we pull up to the house because the mailman clips it to the mailbox separate from the rest of the mail -- you have even had a magical impact on him!  He used to just deliver mail and not talk much.  But with time, he has taken to talking to us and even setting out Kalia's mail separate and that all started with Tessy & Tab!

Kalia also loves Tessy & Tab because of the hidden images and words. What fun art in these magazines! Thank you so much.

Doing her homework...

From Isabella's mom, Kimberly:

Isabella, who is three really wants to follow her brother and sister when they go to school. But since she can't, she loves reading her Tessy & Tab books when they are doing their homework. When she sees them working on their school projects, she runs and grabs her Tessy & Tab books and brings them to me and tells me she wants to do her homework too. She has learned her numbers and colors and seems to enjoy the vibrant colors and learns quickly from the associations of color, letters, and activities. At this rate, Isabella, is doing much better than her older siblings did at age three.

Reading to his little sister...

From Sue:

My son, now 6, went through a heavy Tessy & Tab phase. He used to love to read the stories along with me, adding in "says Tessy" and "says Tab". He loved the puzzles and games, too. Now he reads the stories to his little sister, who's 2.

Not a big fan at first...

From Shantell:

My mother ordered Tessy and Tab for my 4yrs old daughter. When we first received the books she wasn't that excited about them. Now that we have received and read 13 books she wants us to read one every night before bed. She looks forward to receiving them in the mail. Now that she is 5yrs old, she tries to read them by herself first. I love the books because they help her count and learn new words.

Tessy & Tab Fairy Ring...

                  ***** Staff Favorite *****

From Gianna's mom, Corinne:

Tessy & Tab is the first mail with Gianna's name on it and she LOVES getting her own mail. When a new issue arrives, she often grabs all of her other issues and lines them up in a circle (see photo). She likes to see if she can remember the sequence in which they arrived. Gianna adores the characters, and the level is just perfect -- a reading challenge that is not too hard to overcome. I'm also impressed by her comprehension level as she will talk about Tessy or Tab in a parallel real life situation. 

Thanks so much for creating this wonderful series!

The rotation schedule...

From an anonymous fan:

I have a 4 yr old and a 3 yr old. They actually argue over whose turn it is to open the envelope. We have created a "rotation" schedule so as to avoid tears and tearing! I thought my older one would be done with the series, but she is learning how to read and it gives her great confidence to find the familiar back pages and tell her sister what they are asking you to do - find these, count, etc. The actual receiving of the magazine is as exciting as the stories.

Almost canceled her subscription...

From Connie's mom, Corina:

I had canceled our subscription, due to complete lack of interest by my daughter. You encouraged us to continue receiving the Tessy and Tab books to see if Connie would be drawn into the receiving of mail and eventually the reading. You were absolutely right! She loves them now, as does my star 5 year old reader! Elena, the 5 year old has started asking Connie (almost 4 years old) to read her a bedtime story now. Connie is always very pleased to comply. It is adorable. Connie has become very possessive of her collection and often won't let her older sister read or touch any. We love to hear and watch Connie tell the stories on the pages without even reading it to her first. She is just starting to pick out and recognize the letters as words and it is fun watching her be so curious and creative with the language and text. She is so proud of herself!!! Thank you.