Chimpanzees for Tea!

In Jo Empson's "Chimpanzees for Tea!", young Vincent is tasked with a simple grocery run, but his memory and the items on his list are playfully transformed by every friendly neighbor he encounters. What starts as "China tea" and a "tin of peas" soon becomes "chimpanzees" and a "trapeze." This picture book uses delightful repetition, a touch of rhyming, and charming illustrations to explore themes of memory, distraction, and the power of imagination. It's an engaging read-aloud that will have children laughing at the silly transformations and perhaps even trying to remember Vincent's original list.

One day, Vincent s mother asks him to go to the store to pick up a few items: a bunch of carrots, a box of rice, some China tea, a big, firm pear, and a tin of peas to be precise. And hurry home in time for dinner! she says. Remembering a grocery list that long is hard enough, but it becomes even more challenging when you have friendly neighbors distracting you at every turn! All of a sudden, a tin of peas is replaced by a trapeze; a big, firm pear becomes a big furry bear; and a box of rice transforms into a box of mice! By the time Vincent gets to the store, he has created a very different grocery list! This fun story is filled with repetition, a bit of rhyming, fresh, childlike art, and just the right type of silly humor that is appealing to kids.