Review: Messy Tessy by Leah Orr



I'm so excited to be posting our inaugural kids review here! It's the first of many more to come for sure. I opted for an interview format to get us started, so here goes:

The book featured in this review is:

Messy Tessy by Leah Orr

From the press release:

Weston, Fla., August 31, 2009 - Everyday, thousands of children are left in the care of a babysitter. Have you ever wondered what mischief a child could get into if the babysitter fell asleep?

The questions I asked Jordan were:

What's your favourite part of the book? - [I like when] she's wearing makeup.

Did you notice anything special about it? - [The ending] words sound the same (yes, I was totally hinting at the rhyming words)

Do you think there's anything Tessy did that you shouldn't do? - [You shouldn't] write on the walls and put peas in your hair.

Do you have a favourite aunt that you like to stay with? - Yes, Auntie Marie and Auntie Nicole because [they are] nice to me and [I'm] nice to [them]

Jordan's overall thoughts/comments - You would get in big trouble for writing on the wall, I like purple nail polish, and [it's] not nice to whisper.

Jordan gives this book thumbs up.

Mom's notes:

I was fortunate to receive a review copy of this book through Bostick Communications and I had a feeling it was something my daughter, Jordan, would like (mainly because it had a pink cover and was about a girl). The book arrived in the mail about two weeks ago and Jordan has read it about ten times now. That's definitely a good sign!

In addition to the review, I want to share this additional information from the press release:

"Messy Tessy" joins the bookshelf with Orr's two other children's book, "Kyle's First Crush" and "Kyle's First Playdate," written to share the joy and importance of young love and great friendship, while at the same time briefly talk about Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a disease that affects many children, including Orr's youngest daughter, as well as adults all over the world. Proceeds from the Kyle Series books and a portion of "Messy Tessy" are generously donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

I've attached a video link at the end of this post that introduces the Orr family and talks about the Kyle Book series project.

As a mom, I know that the health and well-being of our children is the foremost priority in a parent's life. To this end, I want to put in my two cents worth towards Leah's project and am purchasing a copy of Kyle's First Playdate to offer as our first giveaway here.

Contest rules:

  • You must be a follower to enter
  • I'm mailing this out personally, so to keep my costs down the contest is open to Canadian and US addresses only.
  • Leave a comment with your contact info
  • +1 for blogging or tweeting about our fantastic new blog (and this contest, of course)
  • +1 for recommending a friend (make sure they note your name in their comment)
  • Contest draw date will we November 9, 2009 and drawn using random.org


  • Messy Tessy is available through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information on the author, visit LeahOrr.com

    Meet the Orr family video

    Happy Reading!
    Jackie & Jordan
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    2 Response to "Review: Messy Tessy by Leah Orr"

    1. SusiSunshine Says:
      October 26, 2009 at 8:04 AM

      This idea is really great. It's totally cute to read the thoughts of a kid about a book. They are always so open and direct. And I think it will help many parents to decide which book is good for their kids and which not.
      The blog looks great- love the design.
      Please don't enter me. Got no kids and my kitty won't appreciate the book. LOL

    2. Jackie Says:
      October 26, 2009 at 8:11 AM

      Testing for veri code...yep, it's working (after I had to sign in under a diff. google login :-p )