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A review by pwbalto
Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet, Elspeth Graham
4.0
Stunningly atmospheric, this simple, dramatic tale reads a bit like Jorge Luis Borges for kids. Tashi's mother is a tea picker in the foothills of the Himalayas. Their day is described in beautifully descriptive sensory terms, from the sweet scent of their morning tea to the "blurred red globe" of the sun on their walk home from work.
Every day, Tashi shares her lunch with the monkeys who frequent the tea fields. When her mother becomes too sick to work, despondent Tashi takes refuge with the monkeys and falls asleep. She awakes to find that her kindness has been repaid - the monkeys have filled her basket with the rarest wild tea, the tea that the Royal Tea Taster will pay for in gold, enabling Tashi and her mother to live out their days in peace and prosperity.
In an Author's Note, Mal and Elspeth say that they came up with this story after having read many tales involving tea from the Himalayas. They do not say that they've traveled to the region, but I've been to tea plantations in India, and I find it hard to believe that they could so beautifully describe the light, the mist, the way the day progresses without having been there.
The ink and gouache illustrations are likewise marvelous. Juan Wijngaard has a lovely light touch, and great dexterity in capturing the muted colors of early morning, strong midday colors, and dappled shade alike. His fine-line ink drawings are breathtaking.
Every day, Tashi shares her lunch with the monkeys who frequent the tea fields. When her mother becomes too sick to work, despondent Tashi takes refuge with the monkeys and falls asleep. She awakes to find that her kindness has been repaid - the monkeys have filled her basket with the rarest wild tea, the tea that the Royal Tea Taster will pay for in gold, enabling Tashi and her mother to live out their days in peace and prosperity.
In an Author's Note, Mal and Elspeth say that they came up with this story after having read many tales involving tea from the Himalayas. They do not say that they've traveled to the region, but I've been to tea plantations in India, and I find it hard to believe that they could so beautifully describe the light, the mist, the way the day progresses without having been there.
The ink and gouache illustrations are likewise marvelous. Juan Wijngaard has a lovely light touch, and great dexterity in capturing the muted colors of early morning, strong midday colors, and dappled shade alike. His fine-line ink drawings are breathtaking.