Tag: tea party

Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party (Erin Barker)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party by Erin Barker, a spooky and sweet counting book with a Halloween twist.

Mr. Pumpkin is having a tea party, a classy soirée with some ghoulish guests. Readers can count along as Mr. Pumpkin prepares the table, greets his guests and their delectable treats, and enjoys an evening of mingling, snacking, and entertainment.

Adorable. Mixing elements of the spooky and refined, Mr. Pumpkin’s tea party is a delightful event to watch unfold. The soft, whimsical illustrations never truly veer into scary or fearsome territory, presenting guests like a giant spider (Madam Silk, who brings seven truffles) or a rather dapper mummy (Dr. Cairo, who comes bearing a bouquet of nine spindleweeds) as festively unusual friends rather than frightening creatures. The rhyming text is simple, with occasional touches of extravagant word choice to keep with the tone. Young readers can count along within the artwork on each page, from one to thirteen (especially amusing to JJ, who gleefully pointed out that clocks don’t REALLY go to 13), as the progression from a fall dusk to evening is beautifully expressed through the color palette and charming characters. This was great for a short storytime, and we both loved it. A Halloween teatime treat, and Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Tea Rex (Molly Idle)

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Summer Reading Day 83: Hello, everybody! Our book today was Tea Rex by Molly Idle, a humorous story about proper tea party etiquette when one of your guests is a humongous T-Rex! Cordelia and her brother invite their friend Mr. Rex for afternoon tea, and while his massive size and sometimes-beastly manner causes a bit of fuss, they do their best to entertain their guest as polite hosts do, and have a lovely, if exhausting, tea party with their friend.

What a sweet, funny book! It juxtaposes the very formal rules of a fancy tea party with hilarious illustrations that highlight the charms and difficulties of Cordelia and her brother’s rather unorthodox teatime companion. The story text is short and fun to read, and the length is just about perfect for a Baby Bookworm. Plus, I loved that it showed a male child character having a lovely time at a tea party, and a female character who enjoys her fancy dress and begonias as much as she loves her dinosaur pal. This book is definitely a must for the little girl who loves princesses as much as she loves pteranodons. Baby Bookworm approved!