Luli and the Language of Tea

When five-year-old Luli joins her new English as a Second Language class, the playroom is quiet. Luli can't speak English, neither can anyone else. That's when she has a brilliant idea to host a tea party and bring them all together.



Luli removes her teapot, thermos, and teacups from her bag and calls out "Cha!" in her native Chinese. One by one, her classmates pipe up in recognition: in Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, and Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili. Tea is a tasty language they all know well, and it gives them a chance to share and enjoy each other's company. When all the tea is gone and it's time for dessert, Luli gets to use her favorite English word, cookie! After that, the playroom isn't so quiet.



Informed by her own experience as the child of Chinese immigrant parents, Andrea Wang makes the point that when you're looking to communicate with people, you look for a common bond. The word for "tea" is similar in many languages, and tea becomes the unifying metaphor that brings a diverse group of children together. Additional material at the back of the book explores the rich and ancient history of tea drinking across cultures all around the world and contains maps, statistics, and fascinating details that will delight young readers.

Author details

Andrea Wang is the award-winning author of The Nian Monster and Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando among other picture books and a middle grade novel to be published in 2021. She is also the author of seven non-fiction titles for the US library and school market. Andrea's work explores culture, creative thinking and identity. She holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Young People. Andrea lives in the Denver area, US, with her family.



Illustrator details

Hyewon Yum is the author and illustrator of several award-winning picture books including Last Night, There Are No Scary Wolves, The Twins' Blanket, and Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten!, along with several others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

When five-year-old Luli joins her new English as a Second Language class, the playroom is quiet. Luli can't speak English, neither can anyone else. That's when she has a brilliant idea to host a tea party and bring them all together.Luli removes her teapot, thermos, and teacups from her bag and calls out "Cha!" in her native Chinese. One by one, her classmates pipe up in recognition: in Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, and Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili. Tea is a tasty language they all know well, and it gives them a chance to share and enjoy each other's company. When all the tea is gone and it's time for dessert, Luli gets to use her favorite English word, cookie! After that, the playroom isn't so quiet.Informed by her own experience as the child of Chinese immigrant parents, Andrea Wang makes the point that when you're looking to communicate with people, you look for a common bond. The word for "tea" is similar in many languages, and tea becomes the unifying metaphor that brings a diverse group of children together. Additional material at the back of the book explores the rich and ancient history of tea drinking across cultures all around the world and contains maps, statistics, and fascinating details that will delight young readers.

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