Tea Party Rules

by Ame Dyckman, K. G. Campbell (Illustrator)

Overview

An award-winning book by a New York Times bestselling author!

When he follows his nose through the woods, Cub discovers a backyard tea party…with cookies!  He is just about to dig in when the hostess of the tea party shows up. And she has several strong opinions on how Tea Party must be played. Cub tries to follow her rules . . . but just how much can one bear take, even for cookies?

A laugh-out-loud funny look at the required give-and-take of playtime, Tea Party Rules is an eventual friendship story that will delight grubby cubs, fancy girls, and cookie lovers everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780670785018
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/03/2013
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	607,351
Product dimensions:	10.14(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD420L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Ame Dyckman writes picture books, hula hoops, and puts coins in people's parking meters. She lives in New Jersey with her family and pets: black cats, hermit crabs, fish, and a demanding-but-adorable squirrel named Willie. She is the author of Boy and Bot, about which The New York Times wrote, "It's simply impossible to imagine . . . not wanting to be friends with this book," as well as Tea Party Rules, winner of the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award.  Follow Ame on Twitter @AmeDyckman.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/19/2013
A bear cub sneaks into a girl’s tea party and assumes the role of her teddy bear—all with the intent to gobble up cookies—only to discover that he’s under the thumb of a mini Martha Stewart. “You’re grubby,” the girl tells him. “Tea Party Rule: you must be clean.” The rules also stipulate that Cub must have his hair styled, wear a pink dress, and (the last straw) “eat daintily.” Dyckman’s (Boy and Bot) and Campbell’s (Flora and Ulysses) story is like a pretty petit four with an unexpectedly zingy filling—it’s evident from the sly look in the girl’s eyes that she’s not fooled one bit by Cub’s masquerade. What’s really going down is not just a case of bossiness, but a real battle of wills. Who will break first? Or could there be two winners? Campbell’s marker and colored pencil drawings strike an ideal balance between girliness and wiliness, with just enough nudges and winks to make readers sympathize with Cub and feel in on the joke. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Scott Treimel, Scott Treimel NY. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

* "Strong storytelling, pacing, emotive illustrations that match the deceptive plot and an exuberant sense of fun make this little gem a winner."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Dyckman’s (Boy and Bot) and Campbell’s (Flora and Ulysses) story is like a pretty petit four with an unexpectedly zingy filling."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Dyckman (Boy and Bot, 2012) and Campbell (Flora and Ulysses, 2013) are a winning pair, using their comedic chops to pace the story beautifully. . . . This battle of wills between two charmers hits just the right note."—Booklist, starred review, 

A Junior Library Guild Selection

From the Publisher

A Junior Library Guild Selection

JLG

★ 2013-09-15
What stops a bear cub from gobbling down a plateful of delicious cookies? Tea Party rules, of course! When a little bear cub follows his nose to a plateful of cookies laid out for a little girl's tea party, he takes the place of a stuffed bear at the table, generously telling the teddy that he will eat the cookies for him. When the young hostess emerges, Cub pretends to be stuffed. "You're grubby," she tells him, carrying him inside. "Tea Party Rule: you must be clean. Then we can have cookies." Dyckman's sophomore title (Boy and Bot, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, 2012) successfully uses role-reversal comedy in developing this friendship. Amusing illustrations by Campbell in sepia marker and colored pencil reveal the emotions of both the disgruntled Cub and the girl. The pages are artfully constructed, with white space highlighting Cub as the girl scrutinizes his appearance. Readers will easily see that Cub is not happy being clean and neat and polished in order to enjoy those cookies. With perfect pacing, the tension builds along with the rules. Young listeners will want to shout out "He's a BEAR!" The lesson--playing together is much more fun when both parties agree on the rules--goes down easy in this tale of newfound friendship. Strong storytelling, pacing, emotive illustrations that match the deceptive plot and an exuberant sense of fun make this little gem a winner. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews