This is a lovely tale about how kindness is repaid with kindness. A little girl, daughter of a tea picker, befriends a troupe of monkeys, and at a time when she needs it most, they return the favour. The story is handled so gently that the reader finds it easy to suspend disbelief and enter into a world in which monkeys can not only discern the cause of a human problem, but also its solution.The illustrations are handled as gently; soft yet detailed and colourful without being overwhelming. As a good picture book should, the illustrations tell the story nearly as clearly as the text.This is a book not only for children interested in the lives of other children around the world, but for adults who can take satisfaction and derive hope from the story of how kindness offered with no expectations can be repaid in ways unforeseen. This is the story of Tashi and her mother who live on a tea plantation in India. When Tashi’s mum falls ill, Tashi goes along in place of her mother to pick tea and try to earn money to pay for a doctor. The plantation owner ridicules her and sends her away. Tashi tells her problems to a group of monkeys that she has befriended and somehow at the end of the day, her basket is full of beautiful, fresh tea leaves, a rare type of tea known as ‘Cloud Tea’. Not wanting to spoil the story, suffice to say that this turn of events leads to some good fortune for Tashi and her mother. In my opinion, the characters and the illustrations (in particular the facial expressions) really capture your attention. I went on to discuss this with colleagues and we decided that this could form the basis of cross curricular literacy lessons for at least a week and maybe even for a half term for Years 5 or 6. A delightful book which stayed with me long after finishing it. I felt it had a real spirituality to it which comes across through the words but it is the illustrations which really bring this tale to life.
What do You think about Cloud Tea Monkeys (1999)?
Quiet descriptive tale with illustrations that are finely detailed and completely absorbing.
—CrazyPanda13
Once again the main character showed such determination and motivation.
—palla
