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Combating the “Summer Slide” with Bluebonnet Books

5/31/2015

 
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by @LoveTheLibrary1
Parents serve on the front lines of the annual battle against the dreaded “summer slide”. This “slide” or drop in achievement levels from spring to fall is usually blamed on the multi-month summer vacation. While kids love the extended break from their school’s structured learning environment, studies have repeatedly shown that it can play havoc with students’ retention of what they learned during the previous school year. Teachers work hard each fall to overcome this “slide” by leading students through an intensive multi-week review of the previous year’s main concepts.

The single most important way for kids to avoid the summer slide is to do lots of reading during the long summer months. For children entering Grades 3-6, one of the best places to find great books for summer reading is the Texas Bluebonnet Book list. This is a collection of 20 newly published books selected each year by the Texas Library Association. The list consists of  numerous award winners, are written at different reading levels, and include diverse characters and a variety of genres and topics. 

But these 20 books add up to more than just another reading list. The list is comprised of the current year’s nominees for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Every January, children who have read at least 5 of the 20 nominated books are eligible to help select the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award through an election conducted at libraries throughout the state. This past January, 131,000 Texas children voted. After the election, many libraries have celebrations for their Bluebonnet participants. For instance, at HISD’s Shearn Elementary where I serve as Librarian, our Bluebonnet Party usually includes pizza, ice cream, games, and of course free books and bookmarks as prizes.

The summer is a great time to get a head start on the Texas Bluebonnet Nominee list. Reminding your children about their role in selecting this state-wide award and the possibility of attending campus Bluebonnet Celebrations are great motivators for children who might need extra incentives for their summer reading. You can also find book trailers, author interviews, and tracking charts for free at www.txla.org/TBA. These resources provide yet another way to get your kids excited about deciding which Bluebonnet Book to read next!

You can find these great books for sale at Tomfoolery Toys and Books* as well as at area libraries. So do your part in combating the “summer slide” by bringing your kids to Tomfoolery Toys and Books and helping them pick out a few of this year’s Bluebonnet nominees. Stop that “summer slide” in its tracks!

*For a limited time, Tomfoolery is providing a special offer to encourage customers to read Bluebonnet books: all Bluebonnet Books are being offered for sale at 20% off publisher’s list price from now through June 13! This offer cannot be combined with any other offer.


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Come Join the Fun at Tomfoolery Toys & Books!

5/25/2015

 

Bo's Place Benefit Weekend At Tomfoolery Toys & Books

5/11/2015

 
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We have a HUGE weekend coming up and we are so excited! 

We are teaming up with Houston based non-profit, Bo's Place, to compete in the "GelGems for a Cause Retail Window Contest 2015." 

Together with Bo's place volunteers, we will be decorating Tomfoolery's window with GelGems window clings in a cool design that represents what Bo's place does in the community. 
 
Bo's Place, who just celebrated their 25 year anniversary, is a warm and welcoming place for kids dealing with grief associated with the passing of a loved one.  

We appreciate everything they do and are honored to be able to collaborate with them on this project.  If we win the contest, Bo's place will get $1000 cash donation from GelGems! Yay! The winner will be decided by online votes and we will post the link for that very soon. Get your voting hand ready!

Additionally, we are donating 10% of our sales this weekend, May 16th and 17th, to Bo's Place! 

So come shop for a cause and support Bo's place during this awesome weekend event!

Local Author Zoey Hess Book Signing Saturday May 16th at Tomfoolery Toys & Books

5/10/2015

 
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Join us on Saturday, May 16th for a book signing with local Houston author,  Zoey Leslie Hess, an 11 year old who attends Shlenker Elementary here in Houston, Texas. 

Her book is The Birthday of an Angel, an inspirational journey of an everlasting relationship. While most people think of death as a loss, this book shares a different perspective. The Birthday of an Angel shows that your loved one is an angel who will always be with you.

No other book, written by a child, examines the loss of a loved one from the unique perspective of a child. Both children and adults can easily identify with this story and use the information to develop their own coping skills. If you’re searching for a book about the loss of a loved one, this is a beautiful gift that is sure to resonate with readers of all ages.

About the Author:
Zoey Leslie Hess is an 11-year-old who attends Shlenker Elementary in Houston, Texas. Her favorite colors are blue, pink and purple. Her favorite class/subject is Language Arts. She loves to play volleyball, tennis, draw as well as hanging out with her family and friends. When Zoey grows up, she wants to be a psychologist or maybe a lawyer.

With her Papa, she always remembers playing in her toy kitchen and preparing and serving him all of his favorite foods.

She wrote this book to share her own experience and to help people. “I lost Papa who was extremely present and important in my life,” she said. “I want The Birthday of an Angel to explain how you can still have connections with your loved ones when they pass away. I want to help other children to find a positive way to heal and assist in finding those feelings and connections they shared with their own loved one.” 

Happy Mother's Day

5/10/2015

 
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To the superheroes with superhuman strength, mind reading abilities, and supersonic hearing; we wish you a very happy Mother's Day!

Big kids and little kids have fun at Tomfoolery!

5/7/2015

 
Busy day at the store yesterday! I don't know who had a better time, the high schoolers or the preschoolers!

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