Customer Reviews

Children's Tea and Etiquette: Brewing Good Manners in Young Minds

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Children's Tea & Etiquette: Brewing Good Manners in Young Minds is more than a simple picturebook - it is a thoughtful etiquette manual to instruct readers in how to properly enjoy afternoon tea. Many of the social graces discussed extend into the practice of the general world. From basic polite phrases such as "please", "thank you", "may I", and "you're welcome", to what RSVP means, to table manners for a tea party (such as not picking up one's napkin until the host has), to the importance of writing a thank-you note, Children's Tea & Etiquette is highly recommended as an instructional tool for preparing young people to do well in formal situations. Beautiful, soft pastel color illustrations by Dawn Peterson, a handful of recipes, and notes on the history of tea parties round out this good manners primer.

This books is for much older children. I would suggest 9 and older. I brought it for my seven year old. The book should not have in "young minds" in the title. 1/4 of the book is recipe. It gives the history of tea, but It does not keep a young child's interest. My child says it tells you simple etiquette that most children know already such as saying thank you and not talking with food in your mouths. I was very disappointed in this book.

This is a very good book for the older child interested in learning about the history of tea, and about good etiquette.

I found the book to be absolutely delightful. My etiquette students will have fun putting together their first tea!

We have a Brownie Troop and their Mothers Day gift to their mother is a Tea Party that they are making happen and this book provided all the answers. Great addition to our library

I purchased this book for my six year old granddaughter but I made certain to read it before sending it on for her birthday.

It is quite a charming book for children (and grownups) who love tea parties. The children not only attend a tea party with their grandparents but they are taught all about how they are expected to act and how to eat properly during the tea party.

The storyline is quite good and the illustrations are beautiful. I am told my granddaughter liked it very much. I would definitely purchase it for any child but also note that tea parties we have at home do not have to be so formal.

"Children's Tea and Etiquette: Brewing Good Manners in Young Minds" by Dorothea Johnson and John Harney, with illustrations by Dawn Peterson, is a great book for young children, especially those who don't have electronic gadgets yet, and whose minds haven't been poisoned by too much media--loud, hyperactive television in particular. Please note: I don't have children, but some of my friends do, so I'm evaluating this from an outsider's perspective. Yes, I'm generalizing a lot with all those 'manys' and 'mosts', and there are exceptions, and I hope you're one of them.

The book is framed around grandparents who have invited their grandchildren to a tea party. They are introduced to Dorothea Johnson, a noted etiquette specialist and instructor, who coaches them on 'good manners', which sounds much less strange and intimidating than "etiquette". The tea party is held at the local botanical garden, with a speaker (John Harney) giving a brief history of tea, from China to the present day. All in all, the book does an excellent job presenting a lot of information simply, and even includes simple recipes children can make with their parents.

Dawn Peterson, the illustrator, has done an excellent job making complex ideas simple with her maps of tea-growing areas, tea etiquette (how to cut a scone), and has drawn my mum's de Havilland (sp.?) china in the illustrations (I think it looks like her china).

All that said, however, I think the book will miss its intended mark of children between 4 and 6 years of age, since most children in America by age 6 have already been 'poisoned' by too much television and other forms of electronic media--unless you're thought of as the 'control-freak' parent by the other parents in your child's play group.

I think this book is ideal for the quiet 3 or 4 year old child who likes to read, hasn't been introduced to hand-held electronic games, hasn't ripped their stuffed animals to shreds, and likes to play 'make believe tea party' with their dolls and friends with the same interests (esp. reading and 'make believe', which there's too little of, nowadays, I think.) But, for the rest of the children out there who are wired into everything, and scheduled into every sport and or 'accomplishment' possible, they won't have the understanding, time, or patience to learn about 'good manners' or the idea of 'taking tea'.

Also, let's be honest: unless you're a stay-at-home mom, dad, or grandparent, most children are in pre-school, kindergarten, or school with children from families probably very different than theirs. How many families have Sunday (or Saturday, or Friday) dinner with tea? And when was the last time you hosted an afternoon tea at your home? Unless you've fallen in love, hard, for the history, romance, and nostalgia of tea (European style, I should have mentioned; Japanese tea could be a whole different children's book), and hang out with a like-minded crowd of folks, traditional tea isn't part of modern American life.

If I'm wrong, and tea still is a part of modern American life, and you live in Massachusetts, get in touch with me! I'd love to talk tea face-to-face! (My husband's idea of tea is Sherlock 'n' Watson; my tea is Jane Marple and Lord Peter Wimsey, just to give you an idea of my head-space.)

P.S. If you want your child to love reading, read to them when they're young! Buy them books (please avoid media tie-ins; they encourage consumerism.) and toys that require imagination to play with.