The Tea Party in the Woods

by Akiko Miyakoshi (Author) Akiko Miyakoshi (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

When a young girl named Kikko realizes her father has forgotten the pie he was supposed to bring to Grandma's house, she offers to try and catch him as he makes his way through the woods.

She hurriedly follows her father's footprints in the snow and happens upon a large house she has never seen before. Curious, Kikko peers through the window, when she is startled by a small lamb wearing a coat and carrying a purse. Even more surprising, the lamb speaks, asking her in a kind voice, "Are you here for the tea party?" Suddenly, Kikko realizes her trip through the woods has turned into something magical.

Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi has beautifully crafted an original fairy tale picture book that will delight and enchant. The unique visual presentation features mostly black-and-white art with the occasional use of red or yellow to help guide readers through the pages. Kikko's blend of courage and reticence along with her inquisitive nature makes her a character children will relate to, and the many unexpected twists and turns of her adventure keep the intrigue growing. 

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Kirkus

Starred Review

As beguilingly surreal as the Mad Hatter's party, with its own enigmatic appeal.

ALA/Booklist

Miyakoshi’s fairy-tale-like language, fanciful scenes, and cheery ending make this offbeat take on Little Red Riding Hood perfect for sharing.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

With great delicacy and keen draftsmanship, Japanese artist Miyakoshi weaves fairy-tale elements into a dreamy and sometimes haunting story. In the manner of Little Red Riding Hood, Kikko sets off through the snowy woods to her grandmother's with the pie her father has forgotten; she spies him walking far ahead of her and follows him to a house she's never seen before. In a genuinely spooky scene, she peeps through the window to discover that the man in the hat and overcoat she has followed isn't her father--it's an imposing bear in a three-piece suit. Kikko is ushered into the dining room, where an even more arresting spread reveals a tableful of formally dressed animals--a boar, two stags, the bear, and many more--who gaze at Kikko in wordless surprise. At that moment, the story shifts. "Please, come in and warm yourself," the animals say, greeting her with kindness. In the end, there's a new pie and a parade to Kikko's grandmother's house. The graceful proportions, atmospheric detail, and quiet, bewitching light of Miyakoshi's charcoals distinguish this small gem. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--This work feels new and old, combining motifs from traditional and canonical literature. Elements from "Red Riding Hood" and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland have the strongest presence with possible nods to "Goldilocks" and the less-known tale of the "Twelve Months." Kikko chases through the woods after her father with a pie for Grandma. Finding herself outside a different house, she joins a tea party. When her animal hosts hear that her pie had been crushed, they assemble an assorted dessert and parade with her to Grandma's house before disappearing. The translated text seems a bit flat and stilted in comparison to the fresh story concept and the pacing tends to lag at times, occasionally pausing on uninspired dialogue. Overall, the illustrations work well in some aspects and fall short in others. With a blend of realism and surrealism, Miyakoshi's style is reminiscent of Anthony Browne. The texture of the charcoal on paper gives the dark trees of the forest a wavery roughness as the author-illustrator artfully creates a barren landscape with the adept use of value, white space, and perspective. Although the stark bleakness makes sense for the outdoor scenes and Miyakoshi's tender grayness fits the real-life frame, the tea party scenes have a static, dusty quality for example, when the animals stare upon the newcomer through what might be described as a dry haze. With the restraint of the monochromatic palette and spot color, the wildly shifting perspective feels unnecessarily dramatic. The greatest disappointment may be that Kikko's minimal facial features occasionally read as inappropriately cross, comical, or smug, suggesting that perhaps more than just words are lost in the translation. VERDICT This is a delightfully unique story with striking illustrations but lacks the magic of a more lyrical translation and comprehensively distinguished visuals.--Erin Reilly-Sanders, Ohio State University, Columbus

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"A beautiful Alice in Wonderland/Little Red Riding Hood mashup."—Quill & Quire
Akiko Miyakoshi
Akiko Miyakoshi is the award-winning creator of several books for young readers that have been translated around the world. The Way Home in the Night won the 2017 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book Award and a 2016 BolognaRagazzi Award Special Mention, and The Tea Party in the Woods was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2015. The Storm, her first children's book, won the Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix. Akiko lives, writes, draws and dreams at the foot of beautiful mountains in Japan.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781771381079
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Kids Can Press
Publication date
August 01, 2015
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
JUV017000 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | General
Library of Congress categories
Forest animals
Parties
Tea

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