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Tea Party Rules
When he follows his nose through the woods, Cub discovers a backyard tea party…with cookies! He is just about to dig in when the hostess of the tea party shows up. And she has several strong opinions on how Tea Party must be played. Cub tries to follow her rules . . . but just how much can one bear take, even for cookies?
A laugh-out-loud funny look at the required give-and-take of playtime, Tea Party Rules is an eventual friendship story that will delight grubby cubs, fancy girls, and cookie lovers everywhere.
A laugh-out-loud funny look at the required give-and-take of playtime, Tea Party Rules is an eventual friendship story that will delight grubby cubs, fancy girls, and cookie lovers everywhere.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
June 21, 2015
I had no idea there were rules for tea parties until I came upon my son, then three years old, playing with his action figures and overheard the following:
"Can I come to your tea party?" asked the heavily-muscled plastic man with the eyepatch.
"No!" replied the equally muscled plastic man sporting the red Mohawk. He then proceeded to kick the crap out of the unwelcome guest.
Obviously there had been a breach of protocol. A rule had been broken. Retribution was swift and severe.
This dog has committed the grave error of drooling on the fine linen.
The cats are about to pounce.
In this adorable book, a real little bear stumbles upon a small table all set for tea and cookies! When the little girl/hostess returns, he pretends to be her stuffed bear in the hopes of obtaining the yummy comestibles. He sits all stiff-legged as she gives him a bath and dresses him in a frilly pink frock.
Will our hero be able to follow the rules and hold it together long enough taste those delectable goodies?
It just goes to show that some of us, I mean some BEARS, will do anything for cookies.
Oh, yeah. Been there, done that.
"Can I come to your tea party?" asked the heavily-muscled plastic man with the eyepatch.
"No!" replied the equally muscled plastic man sporting the red Mohawk. He then proceeded to kick the crap out of the unwelcome guest.
Obviously there had been a breach of protocol. A rule had been broken. Retribution was swift and severe.
This dog has committed the grave error of drooling on the fine linen.
The cats are about to pounce.
In this adorable book, a real little bear stumbles upon a small table all set for tea and cookies! When the little girl/hostess returns, he pretends to be her stuffed bear in the hopes of obtaining the yummy comestibles. He sits all stiff-legged as she gives him a bath and dresses him in a frilly pink frock.
Will our hero be able to follow the rules and hold it together long enough taste those delectable goodies?
It just goes to show that some of us, I mean some BEARS, will do anything for cookies.
Oh, yeah. Been there, done that.
May 10, 2019
My daughter is home from her first year of college. Time for Mama, Papa and Baby Bear to sit on the sofa for a picture book binge! (3 of 4)
An interesting start with a case of mistaken identity between a teddy bear and a real cub peters out about halfway through. I'd rather re-read a few of the strips of tea parties gone awry in Richard Thompson's The Complete Cul de Sac:
https://www.pinterest.com/villemezbro...
An interesting start with a case of mistaken identity between a teddy bear and a real cub peters out about halfway through. I'd rather re-read a few of the strips of tea parties gone awry in Richard Thompson's The Complete Cul de Sac:
https://www.pinterest.com/villemezbro...
June 11, 2014
Cute, humorous, and I think kids will get a big kick out the case of "mistaken identity". Plus, there's a tea party in the woods. And cookies. What's not to like? ;-)
June 22, 2016
3.5 stars because of the not-so-fancy surprise ending and because of the cat... but overall I, personally, wasn't wowed... not sure why not, plz judge for yourself.
August 4, 2019
Cub loves cookies, so when he comes upon a tea party in the woods, complete with a plateful of his favorite treat, he is elated. Unfortunately for him, the little girl whose tea party it is has quite a few rules, and he soon finds himself being cleaned and neatened up, and (worst of all!) made fancy. Our little ursine hero puts up with it all, hoping for a reward of cookies, but when he is told he must eat daintily(!), he finds that he's reached the limits of his tolerance. His gobbling creates some hurt feelings, until the little girl decides that their new game will be playing bear...
A fun little picture-book, one which highlights the imaginative games of childhood - enacting high tea with teddy bears (initially) and dolls, 'playing' bear in the woods - Tea Party Rules pairs an engaging tale with charming illustrations, offering a gentle lesson in the necessity of respecting one's play-fellows' preferences during play. K.G. Campbell's artwork, done in colored pencil and sepia marker, is quite expressive, capturing Cub's often dubious reactions to his experiences perfectly. Recommended to anyone looking for stories featuring childhood games and imaginative play.
A fun little picture-book, one which highlights the imaginative games of childhood - enacting high tea with teddy bears (initially) and dolls, 'playing' bear in the woods - Tea Party Rules pairs an engaging tale with charming illustrations, offering a gentle lesson in the necessity of respecting one's play-fellows' preferences during play. K.G. Campbell's artwork, done in colored pencil and sepia marker, is quite expressive, capturing Cub's often dubious reactions to his experiences perfectly. Recommended to anyone looking for stories featuring childhood games and imaginative play.
October 30, 2013
Okay, I admit it. I am sometimes a bit of a book snob. I like children's books, but I LOVE big novels, regardless of whether they are juvenile or adult. Consequently, when this pastelly-colored children's picture book came in, I thought,"hugh. I guess I'll read it so I know what it is about." I loved the silly picture book Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman.
Bear follows his nose through the forest until he discovers a tea party set up with COOKIES! Bear wants cookies. So he nudges the bear sitting on chair and discovers that he's not real! Good! Bear takes the stuffed bear's place. What ensues is a humorous tale of the little girl whose party he's invited himself to. She proceeds to notice that her "bear" needs cleaning, dressing, prettying, etc. Bear puts up with it beacause he wants COOKIES!
This was a beautiful, sweet,and funny book that all children and adults will love.
Bear follows his nose through the forest until he discovers a tea party set up with COOKIES! Bear wants cookies. So he nudges the bear sitting on chair and discovers that he's not real! Good! Bear takes the stuffed bear's place. What ensues is a humorous tale of the little girl whose party he's invited himself to. She proceeds to notice that her "bear" needs cleaning, dressing, prettying, etc. Bear puts up with it beacause he wants COOKIES!
This was a beautiful, sweet,and funny book that all children and adults will love.
February 9, 2017
Picked this little gem up at Goodwill and was not disappointed.
This sweet story combines humor with a subtle lesson or two, and the illustrations are adorable. What's not to like about a cookie-obsessed bear and the bossy little girl whose tea party he attends?
This sweet story combines humor with a subtle lesson or two, and the illustrations are adorable. What's not to like about a cookie-obsessed bear and the bossy little girl whose tea party he attends?
October 22, 2020
This is a very cute book about a bear who happens across a tea party and decides he really wants a cookie. However, the little girl who is playing tea party has a whole lot of rules. It's funny, and heartwarming at the end.
April 24, 2018
I can strongly relate to the feeling of REALLY WANTING COOKIES.
May 11, 2019
What an odd little story. I like the developing friendship between the bear and the girl and I think I prefer Campbell's style to some of the other illustrators of the Dyckman books I have read.
Read
November 21, 2019Loved the first half!
January 1, 2020
This book got mixed reviews from the three classes of kindergartners with whom I shared it. Two groups thought it was hilarious. The third group just wasn't into it.
Cub wanders into a little girl's tea party. She forces him to bathe and dress nicely and be neat. Normally Cub would not tolerate any of these things, but he is motivated by the cookies on the tea table. When it seems that Cub just cannot take it anymore, being forced to eat the long awaited cookies daintily the girl switches the rules and they pretent to be bears, a game much more to Cub's liking.
Cub wanders into a little girl's tea party. She forces him to bathe and dress nicely and be neat. Normally Cub would not tolerate any of these things, but he is motivated by the cookies on the tea table. When it seems that Cub just cannot take it anymore, being forced to eat the long awaited cookies daintily the girl switches the rules and they pretent to be bears, a game much more to Cub's liking.
October 13, 2013
When you combine the delightful humor of author Ame Dyckman with the equally lively, laughter-inducing artwork of K. G. Campbell, you get a picture book readers will want to read over and over again...with plenty of cookies.
My full review: http://bit.ly/GImujZ
My full review: http://bit.ly/GImujZ
March 23, 2015
Very cool, cute story in Ame Dyckman manner. 3.5 year old thinks its a hoot, we love bears inner dialogue, reminds me a little bit of Oh No George. Very hard to beat Boy + Bot, but Ms Dyckman has once again produced another fun story that kids will enjoy+++
July 16, 2017
This book was okay. I liked that it had a progressive story. One thing leads to another, leads to another. And the illustrations were nice. I do think that a child would enjoy this book, but I do think it is a little weak.
June 17, 2018
Cub will put up with almost anything to eat cookies, but he can’t suppress his essential bear nature forever. I’m not sure what the moral is here, or if there is one, but poor little Cub is so relatable, and the illustrations are great.
Hardcover, borrowed from my public library
Hardcover, borrowed from my public library
October 9, 2013
Everything about this picture book is spot on! Perfectly arched storyline, classic looking but hilarious illustration, humor, whimsy. I am very impressed. This is a book I wish I had written.
November 11, 2013
I'd love to hear Ame read this aloud. Would also pair well with Peter Brown's Lucy Bear books.
October 23, 2023
What can a little girl do when a real live bear crashes her tea party?
This is different from her usual tea party guest, who is a stuffed bear.
Unfortunately, imo, the author didn't see fit to give the human girl a name. While the visiting bear is just named Cub. This really detracts from the story, imo.
Anyway, the girl keeps insisting that Cub follows the rules -- her rules -- for this tea party. Meanwhile Cub plays along, until he can start helping himself to cookies. (That being all he ever wanted in the first place.)
FIVE STARS in honor of those who are the intended readers, folks who prefer quirky and even vaguely unsettling. In case you guessed, I am not among these intended readers. I found this book inappropriate for children of picture book age. However...
It takes all kinds to make a world of Goodreaders.
This is different from her usual tea party guest, who is a stuffed bear.
Unfortunately, imo, the author didn't see fit to give the human girl a name. While the visiting bear is just named Cub. This really detracts from the story, imo.
Anyway, the girl keeps insisting that Cub follows the rules -- her rules -- for this tea party. Meanwhile Cub plays along, until he can start helping himself to cookies. (That being all he ever wanted in the first place.)
FIVE STARS in honor of those who are the intended readers, folks who prefer quirky and even vaguely unsettling. In case you guessed, I am not among these intended readers. I found this book inappropriate for children of picture book age. However...
It takes all kinds to make a world of Goodreaders.
August 21, 2017
Dyckman is wrangling to be my go to author when I need a good book with this tea party story of a bossy girl and a bear. The bear accepts the rules for a tea party in order to get the cookies that were on the table in the yard. The rules are adorably illustrated by K.G. Campbell and will certainly appeal to the listeners of the story in story time. This would be a book that will be cherished even if you do not already have a Tea Party theme planned. I would use this book with Teddy Bear Picnic themes, too, as the teddy bear is pushed off the chair in the beginning and appears often. The expressions of the cat are priceless, too, and should not be missed!
June 18, 2024
Cuteness overload alert. This book made me giggle.
A little cub becomes the stand in for a teddy bear. He wants those cookies, so he plays by tea party rules:
1) You must be clean - so the cub gets a bath in the tub.
2) You must be neat - so the cub gets combed and perfumed.
3) You must be fancy - so the cub gets dressed up.
Soon the cub is being carried back out to the tea party along with the family cat. You know, that one-arm hug that animals just love. Then comes the last rule:
4) You must eat daintily.
That was too much for the cub. Maybe it is finally time to play BEAR!
Read this at your next tea party. It is sure to be a hit!
A little cub becomes the stand in for a teddy bear. He wants those cookies, so he plays by tea party rules:
1) You must be clean - so the cub gets a bath in the tub.
2) You must be neat - so the cub gets combed and perfumed.
3) You must be fancy - so the cub gets dressed up.
Soon the cub is being carried back out to the tea party along with the family cat. You know, that one-arm hug that animals just love. Then comes the last rule:
4) You must eat daintily.
That was too much for the cub. Maybe it is finally time to play BEAR!
Read this at your next tea party. It is sure to be a hit!
December 6, 2017
Miss 3 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
This was a random picture book that I chose. A bear cub pretends to be a toy bear so that he can go to the tea party and eat cookies but first he has to endure all kinds of preparations and dress up (rather like a younger sibling).
This was a random picture book that I chose. A bear cub pretends to be a toy bear so that he can go to the tea party and eat cookies but first he has to endure all kinds of preparations and dress up (rather like a younger sibling).
July 21, 2021
This was fine but silly. A little girl is hosting a tea party when a bear cub, on the way to munch up the cookies, sees her coming and has to pretend to be a teddy bear. Then the little girl puts him through a bunch of primping before he can even get to the cookies. Fun, light and silly for those who like tea parties with a fun ending that reminds kids that as much fun as being prissy and precious at a tea party is, sometimes it's fun to just go wild like a bear too!
May 5, 2023
Genre: Fiction
Grades: PreK-1
This is a PRECIOUS story! The illustrations are unbelievably sweet, and the storyline is perfect for younger readers (and old readers too). I'm a firm believer that children's picture books can and should be enjoyed by ALL AGES! Older kiddos will enjoy this story too!
Grab a teddy bear or two, set out some fancy teacups and read this book! It's time for TEA!
Grades: PreK-1
This is a PRECIOUS story! The illustrations are unbelievably sweet, and the storyline is perfect for younger readers (and old readers too). I'm a firm believer that children's picture books can and should be enjoyed by ALL AGES! Older kiddos will enjoy this story too!
Grab a teddy bear or two, set out some fancy teacups and read this book! It's time for TEA!
May 4, 2017
A young bear cub really wants cookies and endures being cleaned, primped and dressed up to make that happen. A young girl wants a fancy tea party with her stuffed animals and doesn't want a messy bear. In the end, they find friendship.
Lots of details in the illustrations to complete the story.
Lots of details in the illustrations to complete the story.
October 13, 2017
This is one my family's favorite children's books! For one thing it's silly, and there's a great surprise at the end, but I like how it teaches us to question our assumptions and rules about how things "should" be done.
July 3, 2021
A bear goes along with a girl's tea party rules in order to get cookies. Didn't like that he is low key pressured into actions he doesn't want to do but goes along to get the reward. Ends on a better note when they switch to playing bears.
August 31, 2021
My sister bought this book to read to her granddaughters at a tea party. They enjoyed it so much that she told me I needed to get it to read to my grandkids. The artwork is great and the story has an unexpected twist to it. Great book!
October 6, 2022
When a cub smells cookies, he joins a tea party. But the hostess has a lot of rules. By the time he's clean, neat and dressed, he is very hungry for cookies. But the last rule to eat daintily is too much for a bear.
February 14, 2017
This book was laugh out loud cute. A little girl is having a backyard tea party with lots of rules but will the bear who wants her tea party cookies be able to follow all the rules.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews