GENRE: **Diverse, Informational Fiction, Rhyme
WORDS: 418
Query:
DIVERSITEA (ages 3-6) introduces readers to 15 young sippers across six continents as they participate in their family’s cultural tea traditions, ending in the reader’s home. Short sidebars introduce legends and fun facts behind each brew. Backmatter includes a brief history and timeline of the evolution of tea with K-2 science and social studies connections.
Written in rhyme and comparable to Teatime Around the World by Denyse Waissbluth, DIVERSITEA celebrates both the uniqueness and shared experience of tea drinking around the world. However, DIVERSITEA is written for a younger audience and each stanza concludes with a refrain that young children can anticipate and read along to. Another comparative title is Dumpling Day by Meera Sriram which celebrates dumplings across cultures.
I am an elementary teacher from California currently teaching abroad in Thailand. My debut nonfiction picture book (2024) was named an NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, an SLJ Best Book of the year, and a Blue Hen Book Award winner (children’s choice). I also write for the educational market. I am passionate about writing nonfiction and fiction for kids that expands their worldview and brings about a greater understanding of and appreciation for what makes us different, but also what unites us.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and consider DIVERSITEA.
Excerpt:
Tea for two-
You and me.
Time well spent
Qualitea
CHINA
Twisted strands
Unglazed pot
Gracefully
Leaves unknot
Fairness cup
Steeps the tea
Concentrates
Evenly
Gongfu cha
Mama and me
Smelling, sipping
Oolong tea.
LONDON
Fancy hats,
tasty treats-
sandwiches,
trays of sweets.
Sugar cubes,
porcelain cups,
etiquette-
pinky up!
Afternoons
Mum and me.
Stirring, sipping,
English tea.
UNITED STATES
Country porch
Jug of ice
Simple syrup
Lemon slice
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
DIVERSITEA was inspired by a poem I wrote for Vivian Kirkfield’s #50 Precious Words contest. As someone who loves both English and Asian Tea traditions, the poem celebrated my upbringing within blended cultures and the joy of experiencing the best of both worlds. The poem won first place out of 250 entries which encouraged me to continue writing stanzas celebrating global tea traditions. Since moving abroad, meeting up for tea continues to connect me to friends and family on different continents. I also recently wrote a bubble tea origin story for National Geographic Learning’s Grade 3 Anthology book.
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