Cloud Tea Monkeys

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In these days of a post-modern approach to many illustrated books, it can be refreshing to see a return to a more traditional approach, with a rich use of patterned language and painstaking care taken with illustrations that both support and extend the written text. Such a style is that which we enjoy in Cloud Tea Monkeys.” Goodnow, Cecilia. "A powerful late start for young-adult book author Mal Peet". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2011. Archived 5 July 2011. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Peet and Graham’s polished narrative is carefully shaped and the fluid, piquant language (‘’Then the women came, their white headscarves glowing in the half-dark, their clothes bright patches of scarlet, green and indigo’’) makes it a natural choice for reading aloud…”

This is a very beautiful book. The story, based on Himalayan tales collected by the authors, is illustrated with visionary-romantic paintings, in which sublime landscapes, imperial splendour and human misery are depicted in radiant detail.”learning about adjectives, verbs, tense, conjunctions and punctuation within the context of the book Beautiful though Juan Wijngaard’s vibrant illustrations are, Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham tell the story of Cloud Tea Monkeys so vividly that it could stand on its own.” This book is written with great care and precise, detailed description appealing to all the senses. Intrigue and mystery are delicately managed and fed to the reader while always leaving you feel as if there was more to be said or told which fires the imagination. Juan Wijngaard’s accompanying illustrations add to the sense of mystique with the mist laden mountains, attention to detail and earthy colours. I would suggest this book is most suitable for upper key stage 2. 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.

This book could also be used as part of a topic in Literacy on Myths and Legends or when teaching descriptive writing as the story contains some great similes and metaphors. Other possible activities could include: develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by: listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks Life: An Exploded Diagram (2011), a semi-autobiographical novel, was his last book for young readers. [9] [15] Cloud Tea Monkeys is a book which explores the story of a young girl named Tashi. She lives with her family in a small village next to the Himalayan Mountains and the tea plantations. When her mother falls ill she is unable to continue to work on the tea plantations. This is when Tashi realises that she must step in to help support her family financially and pay for her mother to seek medical attention. However, this doesn’t go to plan as a cruel overseer refuses to allow her to work on the tea plantations. Tashi is left feeling extremely alone, upset and isolated but to her surprise something amazing happens! I think that the book could be used in a variety of ways within the classroom environment. It could be contained within the classroom book corner for the children to access on an independent basis but it may also be explored as a key literacy text. A cross curricular approach could be used in which children could write a daily diary entry perhaps from the perspective of Tashi with a focus on her feelings and emotions during the story. This would therefore not only be a literacy focus but would also relate to PSHE. The teacher would then be able to explore feelings and emotions with their class perhaps through a discussion initially with their peers and then through a whole class approach. For some of the learners to be extended during this activity they may be encouraged to tell the story from an additional characters perspective.Home). The Branford Boase Award and Henrietta Branford Writing Competition (branfordboaseaward.org.uk) ( BBA and HBWC). Retrieved 2014-07-01. This heart-warming tale is told with assured sensitivity by Peet and Graham and complemented by lovely illustrations. Juan Wijngaard captures the different characters and the lush beauty of the Indian mountains’” The stunning word pictures created by the two authors are beautifully partnered with glorious illustration. This story begs to be read aloud as there is such a musicality to the text. Highly recommended “ This three-week Writing Root begins with the arrival of a Royal Tea –Taster in class seeking apprentice tea-tasters. The children experience an immersive session where they smell and taste a range of different teas before creating descriptive statements to describe a tea. A basket is then delivered and inside is a magical and moving story about Cloud Tea and how monkeys save a young girl and her mother. As the text is read, the children are exposed to range of language activities to stimulate grammatical development and reading comprehension skills. The children then write letters of thanks to the monkeys. Using the authors’ note as further stimulus, children research, plan and then write a non-chronological report on tea, the tea-trade and traditions relating to tea. Synopsis of Text: Intricately told – with painstakingly detailed, radiant illustrations – this little treasure of a book is, naturally, best read at teatime.”

The quality of the book itself is great with very detailed and picturesque scenery that would impress any primary aged child. understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by: drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence One aspect that really shone out to me was the link between humans and nature, via the use of the monkeys. As Tashi respected the monkeys and was generous she reaped the rewards as they then looked after her, so this can bring about an element of Geography with looking after nature and also allow children to discover where and how foods they buy in the supermarket get there.

I personally am a big fan of Asia and that part of the world and this book captivated me and I am sure would do the same for children if read out loud with the pictures being shown to them. a b c "Mal Peet wins Guardian children's fiction prize: A version of Othello which casts the Moor of Venice as a South American football star wins Mal Peet the 2009 Guardian children's fiction prize". Alison Flood. The Guardian, 8 October 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2012. Then, children will read the first part of the book and will be asked to visualise the setting described in their heads. They will identify descriptive sentences and phrases within the text and will classify them using the five senses. At the end of the lesson, children will be shown statements about the story so far. They will position themselves on an imaginary line to show how much they either agree or disagree with each one. Children will be asked to justify their reasoning.

This book would be best suitable for upper key stage two, however, it could also be read to a year four class and high ability year three as it has beautiful illustrations which help tell the story. There are lots of opportunities for cross curricular work such as in Geography by looking at developing countries, child labour and fair trade. The tale has the feel of a time-honed fable—simple, elegant, and moving—which is especially well complemented by Wijngaard’s sumptuous illustrations.” This is a remarkable story of inspiration and dedication. It shows how you can achieve something if you truly believe you can do it. In some way or another, you will achieve it. Despite this book having an element of challenging language this book would be a great read to children out loud.Susan Tranter wrote that "Mal Peet's work is notable for its refusal to submit to categories – the constraints which label what a book should be about, and who it should appeal to. His books to date prove that successful literature for young readers doesn't have to be didactic, or have overtly youthful themes, or even centre on young characters. It is the quality of the writing which is, ultimately, the most important thing." Peet says he is skeptical of books written specifically for teenagers, saying they are prone to condescension. [6] This book is absolutely superb. The unique story line captures a number of important themes in economics, including the vulnerability of the working poor and the incidence of child labor in developing countries. Stunning illustrations further add to the richness of Cloud Tea Monkeys, making this book as much of a treasure as the tea described within.” Guardian children's fiction prize relaunched: Entry details and list of past winners". The Guardian 12 March 2001. Retrieved 8 August 2012. understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by: identifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning