Tea and Books for International Children’s Book Day

Hooray!  April 2nd is International Children’s Book Day!  And today (like most days actually) we can incorporate two of our favorite things: books and tea!

Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, 2 April, International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children’s books.

With so many of us indoors these days, we find ourselves drinking more tea and reading a lot more books.  So if you’re looking to introduce your kiddos to the tea world, here are some fun books to add to your library.

Cloud Tea Monkeys

Tashi lives in a tiny village at the foot of the mountains, below the tea plantations where her mother works. When her mother falls ill, Tashi goes alone to the plantation, hoping to earn money for the doctor. But she is far too small to harvest the tender shoots, and her clumsy efforts anger the cruel Overseer. She is desolate, until — chack-chack-chack! — something extraordinary happens. Inspired by a centuries-old legend of tea-picking monkeys, here is a richly told tale full of vivid characters: the heartless Overseer, the enigmatic Royal Tea Taster, and — far away — an empress with a penchant for tea.

A Mermaid Tea Party

What mermaid would not want to go to a tea party? The mermaids in Mermaid Maggie’s school were given a lesson in thoughtfulness and good manners by their teacher Miss Crandall. Miss Crandall took the opportunity of a tea party to teach her mermaids more than how to pour tea. They learned that by adding loving kindness to all that they do, they could make a party out of any occasion. This book is for every little girl who would like to know about good manners, a tea party is the perfect occasion. Delightfully told, this story will fill your child with self-confidence as she gathers important tools in the realm of social behavior.

The Tea Party in the Woods

Kikko sets out after her father with a forgotten pie for Grandma. When she arrives at a strange house in the wintry woods, a peek in the window reveals that the footprints Kikko had been following did not belong to her father at all, but to a bear in a long coat and hat! Alice in Wonderland meets Little Red Riding Hood in this charmed tale.

Tea Rex

Some tea parties are for grown-ups.
Some are for girls.
But this tea party is for a very special guest.
And it is important to follow some rules . . .
like providing comfortable chairs,
and good conversation,
and yummy food.
But sometimes that is not enough for special guests,
especially when their manners are more Cretaceous than gracious . . .

Introducing Tea Rex, a guest that just about any child would love to have to tea!

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big furry, stripy tiger!

Tea for Me, Tea for You

What begins as a very simple tea for one little pig in elegant Swinings Tea Room quickly becomes a party of two … then three … and more and more! With her bouncy rhymes and bright, energetic illustrations, Laura Rader invites readers on a hilarious romp of a tea party that will have children squealing with delight!

Tea with Oliver

Oliver is not like other cats. He likes cookies and tea and just wants a friend to share them with.

Philbert is the shy mouse who lives under Oliver’s couch. He tries to get Oliver’s attention by writing him notes, but Oliver doesn’t notice little Philbert. When a full-on cat party erupts at Oliver’s apartment, brave Philbert decides this is his big chance to finally introduce himself to Oliver.

Dear Oliver, Let’s have tea. Love, Philbert (under the couch)

How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea

Each day when the Queen wakes up, three maids dress her, two more style her hair, and her butler James makes her tea. But when she grows dissatisfied with her brew, the Queen and James set out in search of the perfect cup. With each stop on their hot-air balloon journey, the Queen encounters new friends who expand her horizons in the kitchen and beyond.

Tea Party Today

Join poet Eileen Spinelli and illustrator Karen Dugan for a celebration of tea parties in this cozy collection of poems! Young children will delight in imagining themselves enjoying tea in bed, at the beach, in a backyard secret garden, and in exotic, far off places. Karen Dugan’s breathtaking pictures are as welcome as a charming teatime companion. The helpful teatime tips will encourage children to make their own teatimes special.

Madeline’s Tea Party

In this story, Madeline hosts a fabulously dainty tea party. Her naughty friend Pepito makes an appearance as well, and havoc ensues! This easy-to-read book is written in rhyme, and there are full-color illustrations throughout in the same charming style as the original Madeline books.

Emma Lea’s First Tea Party

Emma Lea is finally old enough to be invited to join her mother and the other ladies of the family at Grammy’s Birthday Tea Party. She feel very grown-up as she dresses for the special occasion. “I want to look like a big girl for Grammy,” she tells her mother.

The table is elegantly set with Grammy’s finest china and trays of teacakes and sandwiches. But it’s not quite what Emma Lea expected. She creates a new twist to their family tradition which delights everyone.

No Dragons for Tea

While out for a walk with her mom, a little girl has the surprise of her life — she meets a real, live, fire-breathing dragon! Now this dragon is nothing to be afraid of — in fact, he’s so friendly that she invites him home for tea. But their afternoon snack is suddenly interrupted when the dragon sneezes and sets the table ablaze. Luckily, the girl knows just what to do, and she teaches her new friend to be fire smart, too.

With its funny, rhyming verse and spunky illustrations, Dragons for Tea shows kids that learning about fire safety doesn’t have to be scary. The story ends with “The Dragon’s Fire Safety Rhyme” — a fun and easy way to remember what to do in case of fire

Tea with Grandpa