Emma Lea’s First Tea Ceremony

Emma Lea's First Tea Ceremony

Emma Lea's First Tea Ceremony

Emma Lea’s friend, Sam, invites her to join his family in their private tearoom for Japanese style tea. She experiences the peacefulness and beauty, the elegance and respect which has been a tradition since ancient times.

Almost everything is new; the clothes, the Matcha tea, the delicate food. And yet, there are similarities that tea traditions around have in common.

In the end, she returns to her own room for her tradition of sharing tea with her favorite stuffed animals . . . her way.

Preview: Look-Inside-The-Book

Emma Lea in a Kimono

Emma Lea in a Kimono

  • Third in the series of 4 picture books.
  • Hardcover & jacketed, 32 pages
  • For ages 5 – 10.
  • Original watercolor art by Jerianne Van Dijk
  • Written by Babette Donaldson
  • $16.95
  • ISBN: 978-0-9792612-0-6
Price: $16.95

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Emma Lea's First Tea Ceremony

Review:

By Ginger Manley (Tennessee) 

From Emma Lea's First Tea Ceremony

From Emma Lea's First Tea Ceremony

First I must reveal my biases-I adore tea and tea parties and I finally have a grandaughter with whom to share my love affair. That being said, I am a newcomer to the Emma Lea books, but not for long. This third Emma Lea book shows her to be maturing in her experiences as she and her mom learn from their neighbor, Sam, a boy about Emma Lea’s age, and his mother about the ancient Japanese tea ceremony. At first Emma Lea expects it to be a tea party like the ones she is used to having at her house, but as she reflects she learns that a tea ceremony and a tea party are actually quite different and that both are wonderful. Babette Donaldson tells this story with a beauty and sparseness that mimics the rituals of the ceremony and Jerianne Van Dijk illustrates the scenes with an impressionistic style, drawing the reader into the folds of Emma Lea’s kimono and into the tea house with purity, tranquility, and harmony. Folded away in my attic I have a child’s pink kimono given to me more than fifty years ago. I can’t wait to share this book and that kimono with Theresa, my own little Emma Lea.

Ginger Manley
Franklin, TN
author of Proud Flesh, a novel awaiting a publisher

  • The Emma Lea Books

Book Reviews

I read Emma Lea's Tea Party and was immediately moved to send it to my niece Emma. She is 4 years old. She absolutely loves the book and thinks it is about her. Such a beautiful tale with illustrations to match. A little girl can weave fantasies about this book. I can hardly wait until the next Emma Lea book! ~ ~ ~ Penny Hastings
Oh, I do love these books. They are perfect for an afternoon read with a cuddly grandchild. Lots of information and the art work is enchanting. ~ ~ ~ Judy Wright
This is a very special book about family traditions, bonding and growing up. The story of Emma Lea is delightful. If you like Fancy Nancy, you will love Emma Lea. ~ ~ ~ Jill Vanderwood
This is a wonderful story of a little girl's dream with the magic lamp. To my delight, it combines fantasy with family values and reality. My granddaughter loves it. ~ ~ ~ Marianne Kummell
Both the watercolors and the well thought out story are beautifully done. I liked the fact that Emma Lea's best friend is a boy. I appreciated that logical explanations were given to the little girl for the wishes being "granted" and how she realizes the teapot not actually being "magic" didn't make it any less "special". ~ ~ ~ K. Lio
I really enjoyed this book with my little girl because I felt it introduced children to "helping out" and lets them know just because we have to do chores and make preparations, even for tea parties, that it doesn't mean we can't have fun while doing so and the biggest lesson to be learned from Emma Lea's Tea With Daddy is that spending time together is the most important gift of all!
This book takes a look at tranquility, purity, harmony, and respect taught through the experiences of the Chanoyu tea ceremony. I know that this book will be infused into the study my students do of the Japanese culture. Once again the author and illustrator together have created a beautiful keepsake book for children. ~ ~ ~ J. Gilmour
This story brings to life family traditions and the value of giving 'real' and meaningful gifts from the heart. It also shows the importance of family in creating great moments in a child's life. I read this to my 5 year old niece, and both she and her mother were captivated by the story. ~ ~ ~ Carol Scuderi
Babette Donaldson tells this story with a beauty and sparseness that mimics the rituals of the ceremony and Jerianne Van Dijk illustrates the scenes with an impressionistic style, drawing the reader into the folds of Emma Lea's kimono and into the tea house with purity, tranquility, and harmony. ~ ~ ~ Ginger Manley

Author, Babette Donaldson

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