Saturday, September 23 at 11:00
Tomfoolery Toys, 4854 Beechnut St., Houston TX 77096
Tomfoolery Toys & Books and owner Carol Staley are excited to welcome Carol's childhood friend, Lalena Fisher, author-illustrator of innovative children’s picture book Friends Beyond Measure: A Story Told With Infographics (HarperKids) back to her old neighborhood for a special School Age Storytime event.
Friends Beyond Measure tells the story of Harwin and Ana, who draws charts, graphs and maps to help process her feelings. The result is a colorful, accessible and fun tale that ingeniously crosses social-emotional learning with STEM. The book has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book, and School Library Journal.
Lalena grew up in Meyerland, and attended area public schools including Kolter Elementary and Bellaire High, ultimately graduating from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. We are tickled to point out that Lalena is a childhood friend of Tomfoolery owner Carol Staley.
Lalena served as an editorial artist at The Houston Chronicle after earning a journalism degree at UT-Austin. Then she flew away to New York City, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute and went on to design for the children’s TV shows Blue’s Clues and The Wonder Pets. Most recently, she spent several years as a graphics contributor for The New York Times.
“I’ve wanted to write and illustrate a children’s picture book ever since I worked at Blue’s Clues,” Lalena said. “A few years ago, someone suggested I come up with a children’s book with infographics. I love storytelling and drawing funny pictures, and feelings are such a huge part of a good story. So I wondered if charts, graphs and maps could be used to tell a narrative for kids, and even help express emotion in a story.
“About that time, my good friend was preparing to move away. I poured my own emotions into this book, using my daughter and my friend’s daughter as inspiration for the characters of Ana and Harwin.” At the same time, Friends Beyond Measure has a ton of entertaining details for kids to get caught up in. “I loved Richard Scarry’s detailed drawings as a kid, and Dr. Seuss’ absurdity,” Lalena said.
Carol saw memories of their own playtime in the book. “I was immediately taken back to our hours of vigorous and heartfelt play as kids,” she said. “As childhood friends, I don’t think Lalena nor I ever imagined our intense playing of ‘store’ and time spent drawing together was shaping us for who we would become as adults. We are proof that free play and unstructured creativity are essential to learning.”
To Lalena, sharing Friends Beyond Measure at Tomfoolery Toys feels perfect. “It’s really special to be presenting my first book in an amazing toy store run by one of my very first playmates!”
Please join us on Saturday, September 23 at 11:00 a.m. to hear Lalena read Friends Beyond Measure, lead an activity, and sign books! Tomfoolery Toys is located at 4854 Beechnut St, Houston, TX 77096, and may be reached by phone at 832-879-2461.
Lalena Fisher may be reached at LF@LalenaFisher.com or 512-739-9433. More about Friends Beyond Measure: A Story Told With Infographics, including a link to the book trailer as well as reviews, may be found at www.FriendsBeyondMeasure.com. Please contact her if you have particular image needs.
Pages from Friends Beyond Measure: A Story Told With Infographics
Future Tomfoolery owner Carol Fariss (far left) at the 9th birthday party of future author-illustrator Lalena Fisher (center).