Reading fun with Tessy & Tab

When I first heard about Tessy & Tab, a Portland-based magazine geared for preschoolers, I wondered if they'd be like the Highlights magazines I got as a kid. As it turns out, this magazine is not anything like I expected. Tessy & Tab magazines are small booklets (with no ads) that are mailed twice a month. Each of the magazines we've received so far has a good take-away message, such as what kiddos can do with money: save it, share it (by giving to a charity), or spend some of it. I like that the Tessy & Tab illustrations tell the story as much as the words do. I also appreciate that the pictures are detailed and current (if you look carefully you'll notice that the computer looks like a Mac, or that the charity addressed on an envelope is a real one: CARE). My kids both seem to really enjoy the Tessy & Tab stories. First and foremost, it's the thrill of getting something in the mail with their name on it. My kindergartner likes to pick out the words she can actually read, and memorize the stories word-for-word (these Tessy & Tab books fit the bill of simple stories she can read herself, thus good for kindergarten homework). My preschooler likes having me read the stories to her, over and over again. So if that's not a guarantee of a well-loved story, I don't know what is.

So going back to what I was expecting... I'm not a big reader of magazines myself. I prefer reading books, something with substance, something that's for keeps. I was pleased to see Tessy & Tab has none of the disposable quality of magazines that I was expecting. You should know that we are reading Tessy & Tab via a gratis trail subscription from the publishers. However, I do think that at $48/year for 24 issues, it's a steal. I will keep it in mind for gift giving, as I am committed to supporting local businesses, and especially one that helps promote a love of words.

Do your kids read Tessy & Tab? How do they like it?

Comments

[Heather]

We subscribed to Tessy & Tab when our daughter was 2-3 years old. We still have all of the issues from that year, and both of our kids still LOVE them. Our 3-year old son likes the colorful pictures, which are quite detailed (and often silly) and he likes being able to tell the story as well (since they are short and the photos clearly depict what's happening). And our daughter, who's learning to read, likes sounding out the simple words.

Our daughter received a gift subscription to National Geographic Kids a couple years ago, and I'm not at all impressed with it. It's lean on content and mostly ads for video games and movies. Does anyone subscribe to Ladybug Magazine? Is it ad-free? Any other good pubs out there for the pre-reading set?

[jj]

We've been getting Tessy & Tab for a few months now too, and absolutely love it. Milo runs to the mailbox nearly every day, asking, is there a new Tessy & Tab? He keeps them in a box by his bed (other than the ones that are in the bike trailer and car) and looks at them over and over again. It's kind of eerie how often the themes almost always correspond to something we've just done, or are about to do. Are the T&T folks following us?! :)

He's not reading yet, but he's definitely getting better at letter recognition and I think T&T is helping with that. I'll be re-upping our subscription soon.

[marianne]

My 4-year-old is really enjoying T&T (which we're also receiving gratis). My first reaction was that they are a little skimpy on substance, but after seeing her read them over and over, listening to her constantly asking whether she's received mail and realizing that she's learning words, I've reconsidered. I'm curious to see if they continue to hold her interest.

[Heather K]

I subscribed to Tessy & Tab for my 1st grader as he is really becoming more comfortable with reading, and it's such a confidence builder! He loves getting it addressed to him, and he is so excited about reading it. We've decided to give it as a gift to our 3 year old nephew so his parents can read it to him.