The Tea Party is a picture book/memoir I’m presently working on, about a little girl who wants to have a tea party with her mother who is always very busy. The little girl eventually grows into a busy mother herself, and is one day invited to a tea party by her own little girl.

Available sometime in 2021.

for anyone 10+ 

Once, there was a little girl who wanted to have tea with her mommy. But her mommy was very busy. “As soon as I’m done with my grown-up work, I would love to have tea with you!” But it seemed her grown-up work was never done.

In time, the little girl came up with an idea: Maybe if I set up a tea party, my mommy will think it’s so special, she will want to stop her work to have tea with me!

So the little girl began setting up the most beautiful tea party. She could picture the whole thing in her mind: she and her mommy would sit at the table she designed, and she would pour the most delicious tea into perfect cups, and they would sip and talk together, and it would be the best time ever! It took a very long time, but finally, her tea party was ready.

Her mommy was on the phone again when the little girl extended a hand-drawn invitation. Her mommy covered up the talking end of her phone to whisper to her daughter, “How wonderful, darling! What a beautiful invitation! I am so proud of you! I have to finish this important call, but I’ll be there very soon!” 

The little girl waited at the table. And waited. She dipped her finger into the tea. It was getting cold. “Are you ready for the tea party now, Mommy?”

“Mommy really has to finish up a few more grown-up things, but then I’ll be there. I promise.”

As far as the little girl could see, the grown-up things did not look nearly as fun as the tea party she’d set up. But eventually, she figured she was wrong. Maybe her tea party wasn’t special enough at all.

The little girl went back to the drawing board. Maybe there was something more she could do to make her tea party extra special. She decided to experiment with making her own teas. This made her very proud, as they tasted wonderful.

She invited her friends over and showed them to their spots, with name cards she learned how to draw from a book. But they didn’t seem impressed. “We’re just going to sit here and… drink tea?” Still not special enough, thought the little girl.

At the library, the little girl read everything she could about how to make the most special tea party the world had ever known. The librarian thought it was a wonderful idea. “We have a special room in back that would be perfect for a tea party!” 

The girl began raising money for her tea room. Instead of lemonade stands, she set up tea party stands, selling her own handcrafted teas and cakes.

She traveled far and wide to learn everything she could about her passion.