Book Nook - My Magic Tux: A Big Orange Story of Courage and Confidence

 

My Magic Tux follows a child who discovers courage and confidence through a magical tux. It’s a message that resonates with young readers and fans of every team with the encouragement of children to believe in themselves and to try and try again to achieve their dreams and goals. Book proceeds and 100% of Greene's royalties support UT Libraries to help fund literacy, education and lifelong learning, as well as the planned development of a new charitable entity and awards program focused on supporting courage and confidence in children. Every copy sold helps put more books in the hands of young readers. Based on a true story (chronicled by ESPN’s Chris Low), My Magic Tux is inspired by J.R. Greene's moment in Rocky Top lore as the "Big Orange Tux Guy." Greene ran onto the field with the Tennessee football team wearing an orange-and-white tuxedo at the Fiesta Bowl national championship game in Tempe, Arizona to show the world Tennessee had class!, which capped the Vols' 1998 title season. ESPN later dubbed him the "ultimate College Football party crasher." "I was a 24-year-old student working on my master's degree at UT," Greene said. "My family had season tickets going back to the 1930s when my great-grandfather, John T. O'Connor – nicknamed 'Punch' from his Irish boxing roots – was the mayor of Knoxville. I never planned on being on that field in Tempe, but that is what happened. I became the Big Orange Tux Guy, and this book is a reminder how one brave moment can change everything."

Photo courtesy UT Press

Published by the University of Tennessee Press, My Magic Tux is now the best-selling  book launch in UT Press history. It's also the first children's picture book in the press's history and the first title in its new children's publishing program. Greene created the book with coauthor and storyteller Joe Shands and award-winning illustrator Nicholas Childs. It's a collector's item: a unique "tête-bêche" (head-to-tail) book that combines two books in one. When readers reach "halftime," they flip the book over to read the second half of the story. It's perfect for preschool- and elementary-aged children and readers of all ages. The book launched on the UT campus on July 28, where fans met the new book mascot “Tuxie” and enjoyed a read-aloud with Greene at UT's John C. Hodges Library. Since then, J.R. has been featured on  ABC, NBC, CBS  and FOX affiliates and in the Knoxville News Sentinel. The Big Orange Tux is making waves, and it is just getting started. My Magic Tux: A Big Orange Story of Courage and Confidence is available now in hardcover and ebook on Amazon and wherever children's books are sold. Learn more at mymagictux.com. Follow Tuxie at @mymagictux on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest, and at @mymagictuxbook on TikTok. 100% of proceeds from the book go to support children's literacy efforts.  You can find J.R.'s podcast SuperFan Diaries on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Media, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.