Luli and the Language of Tea, written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Hyewon Yum. Neal Porter Books, Holiday House. Penguin Random House, 2022. $24.99 ages 3 and up

 

"Luli poured the first cup and gave it to 
Maxim, who gave it to Anaya, who gave 
it to Kerem, who gave it to Nikou, who 
gave it to Hakim, who gave it to Valentina,
who gave it to Matthias, who gave it to 
Tishala, who gave it to Pedro."

Here I sit at the computer having my first cup of tea for the day. One early memory of making tea concerns my dad's sister, my Aunt Anne. She loved tea, and made it the 'right way', she told me. You didn't just dip a tea bag into hot water. You did it the British way. The Brits knew about tea, she said. Today, I often drop a tea bag into my mug, pour hot water over it and drink. She would not be impressed. 

In Andrea Wang's book about the children who spend their time in day care while their parents take an English as a Second Language class, we meet Luli first. Her first entrance into the day care classroom is a touch surprising. There is no noise. Luli can't speak English, nor can any of the other children. Each one plays alone. The last time she attended, it was the same. This time, Luli has an idea she shares in a drawing for her teacher. Her teacher approves. 

At home, she makes necessary preparations for putting her plan into action. At school, she brings out all of the items needed ... 'a thermos, a canister, a stack of cups, and a fat-bellied teapot'. Luli prepares the tea, and after a deep breath announces Cha! in Chinese. Her announcement gets the attention of all of the children in the room. Each child responds with their own pronunciation of tea, which are all quite similar. The languages are Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Spanish, German, Swahili, and Portuguese. 

The joy of sharing the tea with the others creates a small problem for Luli. A solution is quickly determined by the children and all is well. Luli has one final surprise ... a word she knows in English. What a remarkable difference can be made with warm and thoughtful actions. Well done, Luli! 

Colored pencil illustrations create a warm community of children from around the world. Changes in perspective allow readers a close look at the ceremony and the growing comfort as children realize they have much in common. Back matter includes an author’s note and details about the children, their languages and their own personal history with tea drinking.