Cloud Tea Monkeys [Hardcover]

Mal Peet (Author), Elspeth Graham (Author), Juan Wijngaard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 23, 2010 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 850L (What's this?)

Carnegie Medalist Mal Peet and his wife, Elspeth Graham, team up for a captivating, lushly illustrated tale evoking a Chinese legend.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Tashi lives in a tiny village at the foot of the mountains, below the tea plantations where her mother works. When her mother falls ill, Tashi goes alone to the plantation, hoping to earn money for the doctor. But she is far too small to harvest the tender shoots, and her clumsy efforts anger the cruel Overseer. She is desolate, until — chack-chack-chack! — something extraordinary happens. Inspired by a centuries-old legend of tea-picking monkeys, here is a richly told tale full of vivid characters: the heartless Overseer, the enigmatic Royal Tea Taster, and — far away — an empress with a penchant for tea.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—Tashi's mother labors on a tea plantation in the shadow of the Himalayas. One day she is too ill to get out of bed. Tashi knows that without her day's wages, they won't have money for a doctor, but without medical care her mother won't get well enough to work. "The problem went around and around. It was like a snake with its tail in its mouth, and Tashi was frightened by it." The child tries to pick tea herself, but she is too small to reach the tops of the plants where the tender new leaves grow. She retreats in tears, only to be comforted by a troop of monkeys she has befriended. And then the magical element of the story emerges: the monkeys climb into the mountains and pick the rarest and most sought-after tea leaves in the world. The Royal Tea Taster samples the leaves in Tashi's basket and pays her a handsome sum, with the promise of more in the future. This story, inspired by tales of tea-picking monkeys of the Himalayas, would be merely pleasant were it not for Wijngaard's expressive, richly detailed ink-and-gouache illustrations. Tashi's solemn face as she comforts her bedridden mother, the dynamic depictions of the Tea Taster swishing tea and spitting out a mouthful, the play of light through the branches under which the monkeys eat fruit, and even the delicate tracery of a decorative pattern on the bottom of each page all contribute to the thoughtful bookmaking.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Taking cues from Chinese legend, husband-and-wife team of Peet and Graham create a unique story set in an unspecified past. Tashi, a young girl, walks with her mother every morning to the tea plantation. While her mother and other women pick tea leaves under the scrutiny of a slimy overseer, Tashi heads off to share fruit with a group of feisty monkeys. When her mother becomes too ill to work, Tashi attempts to fill her shoes, but gets laughed off the field by the overseer. Distraught and worried there will be no money to pay for a doctor, she retreats to her secret spot. The monkeys snatch up her tea basket and disappear up into the mountain mists, returning with a basketful of nearly glowing tea. When the Royal Tea Taster appears, he nearly swoons over the rare tea in Tashi’s basket and pays her handsomely for the bounty. The tale has the feel of a time-honed fable—simple, elegant, and moving—which is especially well complemented by Wijngaard’s sumptuous illustrations. Grades 2-4. --Ian Chipman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1St Edition edition (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763644536
• ISBN-13: 978-0763644536
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 0.5 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #567,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children February 23, 2010

By Yana V. Rodgers

Format:Hardcover

Tashi lives with her mother, a tea picker, in a small village that lies in the shadows of the majestic Himalaya mountains. Tashi's mother and the other women work long days on the tea plantation, ever under the watchful eyes of the bad-tempered Overseer. Although Tashi comes along, she is too young to pick tea and instead spends much of the time playing and snoozing in the shade with a group of friendly monkeys that regularly comes down from the mountain.

When her mother becomes gravely sick and cannot work, Tashi despairs that there is no money to pay for a doctor. Determined to earn the money herself, she manages to carry the heavy tea basket to the plantation, only to encounter the angry Overseer who mocks her attempt to pick tea. Even worse, after she retreats to her private spot in the shade, some of the adult monkeys grab the basket and run off with it toward the mountain. Although all seems lost, Tashi learns that small acts of kindness can be reciprocated in unusual and unexpected ways.

This book is absolutely superb. The unique story line captures a number of important themes in economics, including the vulnerability of the working poor and the incidence of child labor in developing countries. Stunning illustrations further add to the richness of Cloud Tea Monkeys, making this book as much of a treasure as the tea described within.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful find November 1, 2010

By JK

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Sitting down for a morning cup of tea with my husband, I began to open the latest package from Amazon to share with him. "Not more books!" he sighed. I had ordered this one because of its Juan Wijngaard illustrations. Our family has nearly read to pieces our copies of his Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, so I knew that Cloud Tea Monkeys would be visually exquisite. What I didn't expect was a text that was exquisite as well. Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham know how to "show not tell":
"The sun had not yet found a way through the mountains, but it was coming; a light the color of lemons was soaking into the sky and painting out the stars."
"The overseer laughed an ugly laugh full of brown teeth."
"His mustache was like a spread of snowy wings."
"Then from under the cloth there came a good deal of sniffing and snuffling: short shallow snuffles and then some long deep sniffs and then the kind of gasping that comes before a sneeze. Then another, longer silence. A hand came out from under the cloth. The fingers clicked again....When Tashi saw his face, the Royal Tea Taster no longer looked stern; he looked like a man who had seen an angel."
We read on. As I finished the story, my husband dabbed his eyes with his napkin,"It's OK, you can keep ordering books."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great book to either read to a child or have a child read himself. May 9, 2010

By Irene Zion

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am very happy I bought this book. It is beautifully illustrated and a great story.