Local Children's Book Author Reads at Mercer Botanic Gardens
Earlier this week, children and families at Mercer Botanic Gardens' Story Time program hosted a special guest, Houston-based author Tyrone Void, Jr. A former English teacher and school principal, Tyrone enjoys spreading the joy of literacy, inclusivity and kindness everywhere he goes. During this story time event, Tyrone read three children’s books that he authored born from inspirations of his son and their adventures together: Bradley Knows Everything, Bradley Visits the Zoo, and Bradley’s Greatest Gift.
Tyrone Void, Jr. reading to children at Mercer Botanic Gardens. (Source: Mercer Botanic Gardens)Tyrone was born in South Carolina and moved to Texas for good in 1990. Starting off in Central Texas, he planted rooted in the Houston area in 2013. He taught English at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, then transitioned to Klein Forest High School, where he taught business classes and coached basketball before becoming a principal at Klein Cain High School. After his time at Klein Cain, he made one last stop in teaching at Klein Intermediate, where he was the dean of administration as the associate principal.
"I loved teaching. Every person in society has to go through school. The kids caught me as much, if not more, as I taught them. What teaching did for me as an author was give me a mark to reverse engineer my teaching style and introduce lacking concepts into their ethos earlier," said Tyrone.
As an author, Tyrone's goal is to provide an opportunity for children to learn to enjoy reading and build literacy through stories that are relatable while teaching valuable life lessons. Through his work, Tyrone aims to inspire young men and women of color by seeing themselves in books they read, knowing that a man that looks like them wrote it and appreciates them.
During his time as an educator, Tyrone strived to create relationships with his students where they could relate to him, ditching the suit for a more casual, true-to-form look that students gravitated to. Through kindness and authenticity, Tyrone honed in on his passion for writing with the birth of his son.
"Kids should have a variety of books to chose from, and books should just be books. They don't have to have a heavy message of historical significance to learn. I want to create a space where kids can just be kids but with a selection of what they see everyday in our diverse world," said Tyrone.
To learn more about Tyrone and his books, visit his Facebook page at Books by Tyrone Void, Jr, or Instagram at @TJVoid.
Mercer's Story Time program is offered on the first and third Mondays of each month and children receive a themed take-home craft. All children are invited to delight over the gardens and enjoy lively story time opportunities at Mercer. To register, please visit www.pct3.com/MBG.
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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