CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

Joining Baba in picking tea leaves on the mountain near their Chinese village is “a special treat” for this book’s narrator and his brother. After a steep trek, the boys and their parents reach a “serene” garden striped with orderly rows of green tea shrubs. Baba gets to work immediately, snapping leaves off their stems. The boys help, but they also enjoy the garden’s delights: chasing bamboo partridges, catching praying mantises, and collecting fruits from a camellia tree to enjoy during lunch. They notice honeybees and black snakes and marvel at the way their voices echo. After lunch, the family weathers a short rainstorm, and at sunset they sort and bag their tea leaves. Before their day is done, though, they must stop by the tea factory to sell their fresh leaves. As they walk home, a truck carrying tea leaves passes them on the road. “There go our tea leaves!” While the boys’ wonder is at the forefront of the story, the painted illustrations reveal just how hard Baba works (even as the rest of the family naps after lunch). Yet the narrator’s reflection that the work may be “backbreaking” but “also joyful, especially when I do it with my family,” is abundantly clear. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Yu Yin
Translated by Shan Chen. Translated from Chinese. Originally published in China.

CCBC Age Recommendation: 4-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Families Fathers Imagination/Imaginary Play Plants and Trees Responsibility Siblings Work and Labor
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklist: Global Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens Set in Other Countries 

Publisher: Charlesbridge
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9781623546236
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Bin

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