Hi, everyone,
Just a short note to let you know that Lemon-Squash is going to take a short break. We’ve enjoyed sharing books with you, and hope to share lots more in the future, but it’s time for a rest. Graphic Novel Month will wait for the restart in November. In the meantime, we wish you a colourful and story-filled October.
Yours,
The Lemon-Squash Bloggers
If you’ve never invited a Tyrannosaurus Rex to tea, clearly you’re missing out. In Tea Rex, Molly Idle instructs young readers in the proper etiquette for a polite and dignified tea party: welcome your guest, offer a variety of tasty snacks, and engage him or her in conversation. Her illustrations depict two children — a dainty little girl in a giant hat and a little boy who fully appreciates the noisy joy of their guest — trying very hard to live up to the stated expectations while things get more and more out of hand. In the midst of happy chaos, there’s just the barest hint of a moral. If a guest needs to drink his tea from a giant hat and have room to swing his tail to be comfortable, good manners might be a lot more interesting than we thought.
I loved the combination of dinosaur and tea party, and the casual presence of both brother and sister at the tea table. Tea Rex skips over stereotypes to tell a story that anyone can enjoy for its humour and its familiarity — who hasn’t planned something out and had it turn out terribly wrong just the same? Idle’s illustrations carry the weight of the story, and do so beautifully. Soft and colourful, full of activity and silly details, they strike a balance between gentility and playfulness that fits the tone of the story just right.
Read more reviews from Three Books a Night and Publishers Weekly.
A sweet book trailer:
The Lemon-Squash Book Club 