Rose Bakewell of Clarksburg, Maryland, has written 13 books about baking—a baker’s dozen. Yes, it’s her legal name—destiny, perhaps. (A bakewell tart is a sweet from Derbyshire, England, she notes; she’s an Anglophile and a history geek.) Lottie and the Tea Party, her only tea-related book, named after her daughter, Charlotte, is about a kind little girl who loves baking and tea parties. But when her mother invites her two cousins to a tea party at her home, they are very naughty. One cousin touches every scone and cake on the elegant tea stand before deciding which to eat. Then, she stuffs four sandwiches into her mouth, after picking cucumbers out of each, burps without apology, and says manners are for “boring folks.” The worst is yet to come: Both cousins start tossing cucumbers at each other. Luckily, Lottie’s mom intervenes, suggesting a “super interesting way” to enjoy tea. Etiquette tips follow—lay a napkin on your lap, don’t talk with your mouth full, hold a teacup with your pinky tucked in. But the cousins make fun of her after she leaves. Believing it’s important to speak up to address a wrong, Lottie bravely tells them that being rude isn’t cool and that making fun of others is disrespectful. To her surprise, her chastened cousins clean up the mess and start saying “please” and “thank you.”
“Each book has a lesson or moral, like helping others in your neighborhood or how something good can arise from a mistake,” says Rose, the mother of three children. “Each book follows the same family. I want families to fall in love with my characters.” The recipe is described in the book, and a recipe card is attached, with a QR code of a how-to video. A chocolate beetroot vegan cake is featured in Lottie and the Baby, her second book. Art imitates life: Her children were allergic to eggs and milk when they were little. “I had to be creative. That’s how I began experimenting.” Another book is about “eating the rainbow,” making a colorful salad from farmers’ market produce.
Rose, who is Korean-American, cheerfully admits she’s a perfectionist. (Her first book is dedicated to her kids, “who have heard this 587 times.”) “Mommy, please stop changing things,” they begged, when she read them paragraphs, over and over during the editing process. She self-published, finding traditional publishers’ rules for children’s books too restricting. “I was told to make it 32 pages and under 500 words. But it’s 48 pages and 1,500 words.” Learn more at rosebakewell.com, and go to mrsbakewells.com to order the scones from the book.
Where do I order the tea books for children?
What a charming concept! This article from TeaTime Magazine highlights the wonderful world of children’s tea books. I love the idea of introducing little ones to the joy of tea time through engaging stories and illustrations. The article mentions a variety of themes, ebook writing service USA from princess adventures to family traditions. Do you have any favorites you’d recommend for parents looking to spark their child’s interest in tea parties?