Cloud Tea Monkeys Hardcover – Picture Book, February 23, 2010

It was a very cute story.

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."

Our family has read and re-read this book many times. Most recently I took it to a 3rd grade class to read aloud. The children all loved the story and it was new to most of them. It's a tale of love, magic, and has a happy ending with no major horrors along the way. Lovely prose and beautifully illustrated.

This book deserves to get a lot more attention. It is one of those children's books that may be remembered into adulthood. The basic plot is easy for young readers to follow, but within the deeper layers and greater complexity, there are themes of class, poverty, kindness, women's working conditions/equality, unlikely heroism, the value and capability of animals, and a touch of magic. My son and I both declared Cloud Tea Monkeys as a "very special book" upon first read, and cannot wait to read it again and again.

Beautifully illustrated short story that evokes both historic & fairy tales one encounters in regions across the globe.This story takes place in the east - most likely India. Both my 8 year old nephew and 10 year old niece were enchanted by the tale & illustrations.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with a long but well told tale. It has a touch of magic, a big helping of multicultural exposure, and captivating artwork on every page.When I finished reading it to my daughters for the first time, the four and a half year old immediately took the book from my hands and started turning the pages herself, reviewing the full color pictures. "I liked this book" she said solemnly. Me too.It's worth getting your hands on.

I ordered six copies of this book from six of your t vendors, and all the books came in wonderful shape! I teach fourth grade, and the students and I enjoy seeing where the books came to us from! It is fun to think who else has enjoyed these books! Thank you for such good quality vendors and products!

this is great kids book!easy to read aloud to a four year old and enjoyable for the adult as well.makes you realize where tea really comes from and how it's picked.i liked the magical element of the monkeys helping our hero when all seems lost.and the power of a child to create change.the happy ending is enjoyable too.wish there were more new kids books like this.