Howie's Tea Party

In Howie's Tea Party, a "My First I Can Read!" book, a little girl is throwing a pretend tea party. All she wants is for her puppy, Howie, to play the role of Mrs. Brown. But Howie looks confused when the girl puts a hat and boa on him, and he'd rather play under the table than sit properly in a chair. He licks the cookies and spills the tea, and generally exasperates the little girl until she cries, "Howie, come here. You must do as I say. I mean, Mrs. Brown, please take your seat!"

But when the girl tells the puppy he's ruined the party, he looks so sad, the she stops to think a moment. "God made you to run and play. That's what puppies do. God made you just as you are. I'm glad you're my Howie, and not Mrs. Brown," she says.

What I Like: This story made my first grader laugh, and the text, by Sara Henderson, is easy enough for a child who has mastered phonic storybooks and is beginning to learn sight words. Aaron Zenz's illustrations are cute and attractive. And besides all that, this book offers an important biblical moral.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 4 and up

Publishing Info: Zonderkidz; 2008; ISBN: 978-0310716051; paperback, 32 pgs., $3.99.

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