Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman & K.G. Campbell (ill)

 

Dyckman, Ame. Tea Party Rules. K.G. Campbell. New York: Viking, 2013.

What happens when an unexpected guest appears at a little girl’s tea party? He receives unexpected treatment by his hostess! This is exactly what happens when Cub follows his nose and discovers a plateful of cookies. But he must pay the price before snacking because those are the “tea party rules.”

The table is set for a tea party but the hostess won’t allow refreshments to be served until her new guest is made presentable for the occasion. This includes a good cleaning and wearing dress-up clothes. Are the cookes worth all this hoopla? In the end, the new friends find a game that is suitable for them both.

Dyckman knows the way to a little girl’s heart. Her story captures the pretend play that little girls like to do but, in the end, shows there is more to our main character than hosting tea parties. Campbell captures the sheer enjoyment of the little girl and the anxiety of the unsuspecting Cub.