More Fun Than A Barrel of Monkeys! Chimpanzees for Tea by Jo Empson

Mum's in a swivet. The cupboard's getting a bit bare, and it's almost teatime! Vincent's engrossed in perfecting his soapbox racer, but Mum orders him off to the shops for a few groceries.

"A BUNCH OF CARROTS, A BOX OF RICE, SOME TASTY CHEESE, A BIG, FIRM PEAR, A CAN OF PEAS--AND HURRY HOME FOR TEA!"

Grabbing the list, Vincent jumps into the driver's seat of his racer and rolls down the hill toward town.  But as he waves to his friend Mr. Singh, the list blows away. Oh, dear, he thinks. He runs through the list in his mind.

"... a big. firm pear, and... a trapeze?"

But just as he's almost back on track, he spots a circus parade, with a stilt walker in the lead. Momentarily distracted, he tries to repeat the list back to himself.... Let's see... "A bunch of carrots ... a big furry bear, and a trapeze?"

With each distraction, Vincent's mind comes up with a new substitution to Mum's list, all in perfect rhyme. Fortunately, the traveling circus comes up with everything on Vincent's mental list, and he leads them all back to his house for tea!

"A BRANCH OF PARROTS, A BOX OF MICE, SOME CHIMPANZEES, A BIG, FURRY BEAR, AND A TRAPEZE."

All present and accounted for just in time for a proper British tea, in Jo Empson's tale of a strangely riotous shopping spree, Chimpanzees for Tea! (Philomel Books, 2016). With an author's nod to the oft-used "telephone game" plot, and with page design that emphasizes the brawling, sprawling nature of the story, a cast of comic critter characters, all in a swirl of movement, this one turns what is usually a humdrum errand that is everykid's idea of a bit of a bloody bore into an outrageously fanciful adventure. A ho-hum teatime turns into a party, ending with an sympathetic furry bear serving an overwhelmed Mum a much-needed cup of tea! "... A perfect read-aloud for all ages and a great memory game to play with school-age kids." says School Library Journal.

One Lump or Two? Tea Rex by Molly Idle

DEAR MR. REX,

IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I HAVE SEEN YOU.

DO DROP BY ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR A CUP OF TEA.

YOUR FRIEND,

CORDELIA

Cordelia is a brave girl who clearly does things by the book--Emily Post's Guide to Etiquette, that is. She is also quite courageous, considering that mixing dainty teacups with cretaceous critters is not generally well advised.

In Molly Idle's latest teatime confection, Tea Rex (Viking, 2013), she sets up a delicious tongue-in-cheek irony in her text, which consists solely of decorous directions for conducting a proper afternoon tea, while the prim but revealing colored pencil illustrations, within tidy borders, show all sorts of mini-mayhem about to break out as her prehistoric guest courts disaster. With the parlor chair straining under Mr. Rex's generous bottom, Cordelia shudders as her guest snatches her flowery straw chapeau to serve as his commodious teacup and sloshes the entire pot of tea into it, shockingly dunking her little brother's Teddy bear into it and opening wide for this unwonted tea pastry.

IT'S GOOD TO HAVE EXTRA CUPS AND NAPKINS ON HAND....

BUT A GOOD HOSTESS MEETS THESE LITTLE CHALLENGES WITH A CHEERFUL SMILE.

The Teddy is rescued and the party ends with dancing and toothy smiles from her guest, and as we see by the closing endpapers, a polite thank-you note to Mr. Rex, who has appropriately returned the favor by inviting Cordelia to his next dino tea party.

DEAR MR. REX,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US TO TEA.

YOUR FRIEND,
CORDELIA

An unusual juxtaposition of crumpets and the cretaceous,  this book has wide appeal.  "Sure to be enjoyed by tea-party enthusiasts, and even dino fans with no use for a teapot will find themselves drawn to this clever tale of a not-entirely-civilized beast of the past," says Kirkus Reviews.