Never Trumpet with a Crumpet by Amy Gibson, Jenn Harney
Published by Boyds Mills Press on May 14, 2019
ISBN: 1629793043
Pages: 32
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

This adorable rhyming picture book takes the reader to the Queen’s house for tea.  With 18 mostly wild animals as table guests, we learn about manners appropriate for tea with the Queen.

 The pictures are packed with detail, encouraging the reader to linger and catch all the funny details. “Try one bite of foods you hate.  No hiding crusts beneath your plate.”  Whether it is the adorable pug sticking his tongue out with some food he doesn’t like, to the orangutan hanging from the chandelier sipping tea with his pinky raised, the illustrations are hilarious.

 This would be a great read aloud, as long as the children could mingle over the pictures to get all the nuances.  I can see children reaching for the book again and again to catch more details.

Some of the terms may be new to the children- sugar lumps, curtsy, crumpets, press your Sunday best – but the reader can use this as a learning experience for the children as they explore the customs of manners.

Reviewed By Irene Hall, Witherle Memorial Public Library, Castine