How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

Between my Tea Parties Around the World Series and National Princess Week Resources and Giveaway (have you entered yet?) How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea by Kate Hosford and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska found its way to me.

In this book the unnamed queen does not like her cup of tea that her butler makes while her attendants dress her and prepare her for the day. She orders her Butler to take her to find the perfect cup of tea. They go off in a hot air balloon and stop in three places. In each exotic land they find a child who gets the queen to try something new and then has her help make the tea. Each place she does more and more to make the tea. She learns an important lesson that tea is best when made by yourself and shared with friends. 

Now I have always found tea to be something that brings people together. Think of the tea party. A tea party gathers friends for a fun gathering. I also remember often enjoying a cup of tea at the end of the school day with other teachers in the math department. This is one of the lessons of the book. The other is to do things for oneself. There is a satisfaction and often more enjoyment when one makes or does something for him or herself. 

Now the places the queen visits are Japan, India and Turkey. There is a bit of culture in each visit. In Japan she cuddles with a cat and turns on the faucet and watches Noriko make the tea including matcha powder.

Green Matcha  By Kefisrael (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

In India she plays soccer and helps make a chai with Sunil. 

Homemade Chai

In Turkey she dances and makes tea with Rana. 

Tea of Turkey By JX Bardant at French Wikipedia
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

There is not a lot about the countries but one can see the differences in the ways the tea is made. This book is a perfect book for my Tea Parties Around the World as the queen visits three countries and then has the children she met come to a tea party in her castle.

Kate Hosford is the author of several picture books, including Infinity and Me, which won the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book award and was named an ALA Notable Children's Book. Her books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, French, and Romanian. Kate grew up in Waitsfield,  Vermont, where she enjoyed many cups of tea.  She now drinks tea with her family in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more, and to download a free curriculum guide, visit her website: khosford.com.

Twitter: @khosford_author

Check out the fun book trailer here!

Making friendship and fun count

In the spirit of the book's message, Kate Hosford will donate $1 (up to $500) for every retweet of a review or interview from her blog tour to First Book. (Be sure to include .@khosford_author.) Established in 1992, First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to children in need.

Although it is a queen in the book and not a princess it is another fun book to add to the National Princess Week Resources.  I hope you will check it out.