With me on the blog today is the always lovely Kate Hosford. She’s here to talk about her latest picture book, How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea, which was illustrated by the amazing Gabi Swiatkowska. This book, published by Carolrhoda Books in March 2017, is too delightful for words.
Check out the book trailer:
Now, let’s talk to Kate!
El Space: Four quick facts about yourself?
Kate: (1) I love the tea set that my grandmother left me.
Kate’s grandmother’s Spode china
(2) When I studied in India during college, I loved drinking chai on trains.
Indian chai at the launch party at Books of Wonder in New York
(3) This summer, I got to drink tea at the Buckingham Palace Garden Café, where they have really nice paper cups.
Fancy to-go cups
(4) My new favorite place in New York is the Japanese tea house, Cha-An, where they have wonderful Matcha and a great selection of desserts.
Matcha with something sweet at Cha-An
El Space: How did you come up with the idea for this picture book?
Kate: At first, I simply had a vague idea about a queen going around the world and drinking tea with children from different cultures. But after several revisions, the story became about a lonely, pampered Queen who thinks she is searching for the perfect cup of tea, when she is actually searching for friends and meaning in her life. In the final version, tea still has a multicultural function in the story, but it is also a metaphorical device for tracking the Queen’s emotional state. Gabi Swiatkowska did such a great job showing the Queen’s many emotional states not only as she learns to make tea, but as she learns how to do other things as well, like snuggle a kitten.
El Space: This is your second collaboration with illustrator Gabi Swiatkowska. What was your process for working with Gabi? How long was the process from writing to production?
Kate: Gabi and I met in an illustrators’ group in 2000, back when I was doing illustration. We were good friends before we became collaborators, which was probably helpful. This book has a complex emotional arc, with the Queen making a bit more progress in each place she visits, but then backsliding to her old haughty ways at the beginning of each visit to a new place. Gabi did an amazing job of conveying all the emotional complexity in the book. Sometimes I offered opinions that Gabi took, and other times, she would stand her ground. I have learned that when Gabi stands her ground, she is always right!
Gabi and Kate at their launch party at Books of Wonder
I started this book with my faculty advisor, Uma Krishnaswami, in 2009, when I was getting my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I sold it to Carolrhoda Books in 2013, and it came out this spring. In my original drafts, I had the children in each country giving the Queen little gifts, and acting deferential. Uma encouraged me to “turn colonialism on its ear,” and create child characters that are completely unimpressed with royalty. This is when the book really came together. When the children treat her like a normal person, the Queen begins to evolve emotionally.
Interior illustrations © 2017 by Gabi Swiatkowska
El Space: Favorite tea? What, if anything, do you take in your tea?
Kate: I drink a lot of peppermint tea and honey, lemon tea and honey, green tea, and chai.
El Space: In a discussion of why picture books are important, Kwame Alexander said
Picture books are the great experience equalizer. We don’t have to leave the comforts of the beds in the rooms of our houses, and yet we can still travel through time and place and circumstance.
Erzsi Deak said
Picture books are also the groundwork for understanding innately how Story works, as the reader anxiously turns the page to see WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
Why do you think they’re important?
Kate: Oh there are so many reasons! I agree with everything that Kwame and Erzsi said, and here a few other reasons as well:
Picture books can create intimacy. Often picture books are read out loud, either by a teacher or parent. This sort of intimate experience allows the child and adult to bond over the book together, which then gives the child yet another reason to continue reading.
Picture books hone a child’s ear. When picture books are read out loud, they allow children to hear the rhythms and cadences of beautiful language, which hopefully makes them want to read more.
Picture books are good for the brain. The child who is seated next to a picture book reader is synthesizing the words on the page, the language of the reader, and the illustrations. The constant toggling back and forth between these elements is stimulating and complex, forging the neural pathways that are essential for increasing intelligence in a young child.
El Space: Name a favorite picture book from your childhood. Why was it a favorite?
Kate: Probably my favorite book was called Alexander and the Magic Mouse by Martha Sanders and Philippe Fix. It is a gorgeous, eccentric book about an old lady who lives on the top of a hill with a Magical Mouse, a Brindle London Squatting Cat, a Yak, and an alligator. One day, the Magical Mouse predicts that the town below will be endangered by thirty days of rain. It is then up to Alexander to make the treacherous journey into town to warn the mayor about the rain. The book’s illustrations are just spectacular, and I loved the fact that this eclectic group of animals lived with the Old Lady.
The cover where the Old Lady is serving tea
Strangely, I didn’t realize until I just reread the story that tea plays a rather important role in the book. The Old Lady gathers her friends every day in the drawing room for tea, she nurses Alexander back to health with ginger tea when he returns from warning the mayor, and at the end of the book, when the mayor comes to honor the Old Lady for saving the town, she gives the medal to Alexander instead, and invites the mayor and her animal family to tea.
The Old Lady, nursing Alexander back to health with ginger tea (left); the mayor, having tea with the Old Lady and her friends at the end of the book
El Space: What will you work on next?
Kate: A poetry collection about how brilliant the octopus is! I read Sy Montgomery’s incredible book, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonders of Consciousness. and then was lucky enough to meet Sy and interact with her namesake, Sy the Giant Pacific Octopus at the New England Aquarium. I also want to do something funny related to the life of a classical musician. This is a bit of a challenge since most of them had really difficult and tragic lives. However, Jonah Winter was able to do it in his fabulous picture book, The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven, where he tries to figure out how Beethoven could have moved five legless pianos to 39 different apartments. It’s such a unique topic, and his treatment of it is wonderful.
I’m also very excited about a picture book I have coming out next spring with Abrams called Mama’s Belly. It’s about a little girl waiting for her sister to be born, and wondering if there will be enough love to go around. (Spoiler alert: There is!)
Thanks, Kate, for being my guest!
And thank you to all who visited this blog. You can find How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indiebound.
Want a curriculum guide for How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea? Click here.
You can find Kate at her website, Twitter, and Facebook.
One of you will find her book in your mailbox or tablet. Comment below to be entered in the drawing. You could name your favorite tea as you comment. The winner will be announced on May 1.
Kirstea, the tea-loving Shoppie, gives Kate’s book five stars!
Book covers, author photo, interior illustrations, and book signing photos courtesy of the author. The Soul of an Octopus, Surf’s Up, and Pumpkin Time covers from Goodreads. Kirstea photo by L. Marie. Kirstea Shoppie doll by Moose Toys.
El Space--The Blog of L. Marie 
Great interview, ladies. I hope you saved your paper cup, Kate…it’s beautiful! My favorite tea is chai.
Thank you! That’s one of my favorites too, Jill. That and the maple apple cider. XD
Thank you, Jill. That’s a very good question. What did I do with that cup? I hope I put it somewhere safe. Chai is so great. They make a chai latte with lavender in my neighborhood.
Very fun interview. Love the reasons for picture books being important. Never thought of it being good for the brain and the toggling effect. Need to remember that.
Thank you! I enjoyed it. XD Yes, many studies have shown the importance of picture books in a child’s development. Does your son like to be read to?
He does, but we’re still fighting with getting him to read. The pictures are a distraction at times. He also has a habit of memorizing the books from them being read to him and ‘reading’ a few days later.
That’s understandable. Are there types of books that he prefers? I think you mentioned that he likes Star Wars.
Superhero books are the big things now. Curious George and Seuss are in there too.
Ah. The little boys whom I occasionally babysit are into Curious George, LEGOs, Star Wars, and Batman. I’m not sure what they think of the Justice League as a whole yet. But they sometimes combine Batman with Star Wars.
Aidan likes Batman, but he’s getting into Green Lantern. He doesn’t realize he can combine them at times. It’s rather straightforward except for when he needs bad guys. Those end up being whoever he gets his hands on first.
Did he see the animated version of Green Lantern from like around 2011? I have both seasons on DVD. 🙂
Not yet. He saw GL in a few cartoons and the superhero books.
I enjoyed the series. It’s hard for me to gauge if it might be too scary for a little boy though.
He made it through some Justice League episodes with Zatanna and Constantine. Figure those were worse than Green Lantern.
Oh okay. He might like the Green Lantern series. At least it comes to somewhat of a cohesive ending though it was canceled. 😦
They seem to have cancelled a lot of cartoons.
I heard they canceled that one because the execs didn’t think it encouraged toy sales. 😦
Heard that one before. Cartoons and toys have always been connected. Kind of ridiculous these days since I rarely see commercials for the toys.
I don’t either since I only watch what’s on Netflix. I don’t miss commercials at all!
Neither do I, but they did give me a chance to replenish my snacks.
Yeah, there is that. At least when I watch Netflix on the computer, I can pause whatever I’m watching.
Thank you Charles! I’m glad you liked the interview. I think picture books provide our brains with good toggling as opposed to the perhaps not so helpful toggling the rest of do between work and constant distractions on the internet.
Never thought of the toggling part. I have a 7-year-old who has trouble with that transition, but I guess him mastering picture books will help him a lot with focusing.
I love tea-more than coffee. I guess you can get it all around the world, though it feels like a very English thing to me.
Loved the book trailer.
It’s cool, isn’t it?
I have my tea breaks in the afternoon. I find that I can’t drink coffee past a certain hour of the day. 🙂
What a great idea…I’ll have to adopt that practice…coffee in the pm is not a good thing for me, either! 🙂
After lunch I usually start in on the tea. 🙂
Thank you, Andy. I think making trailers is a fascinating part of the book publicity process. It is deceptively complicated, and is based so much on getting the timing of all the moving parts in synch. I’m glad you liked it!
I think many of us know more about English tea than tea in other cultures, but in the course of researching the book, I learned that people were drinking tea in China as early as the 3rd century AD. Later Japanese monks who had been studying in China brought the drink home with them. In the 1600s, traders from the British East India Company probably imported tea from China to Britain. In the mid-1800s when India was under British rule, the British started growing tea there and importing it.
I see a lot more matcha and chai available now in national chains like Starbucks, which is interesting. What is your favorite kind of tea?
So really we English were quite late to the tea party, so to speak.
I’ve not explored speciality teas much, although I have had various fruit flavoured ones in the summer. My go to brew though is a standard cup of Yorkshire tea.
Yorkshire tea! I just looked it up. Do you get the one by Taylors of Harrogate?
Oh, I loved, loved, loved this!
Kate, from your lovely, inherited Spode china to your reasons for picture books, and, of course, your new book, this has been a most delightful afternoon read (over a cup of Paris tea with local honey). As L. Marie knows, I love taking tea and now my young granddaughter requests morning tea in teacups whenever she is visiting and frequently has her mom text me photos of her drinking afternoon tea 🙂 . She would love this, especially with L. Marie and Kirstea’s recommendations. 🙂
I think your granddaughter would love this book, Penny. 🙂 I hope you’ll get to visit with her soon. 😀
Ah, your tea times with her seem delightful. I think I recall you found a place to buy honey during one of your walks.
I did find a place – Lyman Woods, and last year we came across someone selling honey from an honesty box about three miles from our house! It is early for honey, but, I manage to drive by the house just in case the bright yellow box and Honey For Sale signs are up.
I remember that post. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a honey for sale box. I need to get out more!
I have never, ever seen one and it took me by surprise. Tomatoes – maybe – but never honey. 🙂
I’d love to find a box someday. 🙂
Thank you so much, Penny! I think drinking tea with your granddaughter sounds like one of the nicest things anyone can do. I love that she’s now incorporated the ritual into her day at home as well. My book INFINITY AND ME is about the infinite love that a granddaughter feel for her grandmother. Perhaps the two of you would like to read it:-)
This is enough to make me a reformed tea drinker (pre-coffee days!)
Love this book and that to-go cup…geez: art in itself.
All the best to this author.
The to-go cup is pretty cool. 🙂 I’d just like to get there to get one. 🙂
Thank you Laura. That Buckingham Palace to-go cup really is a work of art. I forgot to mention that I was at the palace to see ‘Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from the Queen’s Wardrobe.’ It was outrageously good! http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/43533417-fashioning-a-reign-90-years-of-style-from-the-queens-wardrobe-at-buckingham-palace#FCFDjAVsz7tPwJS3.97
ps-fav tea: darjeeling!
Ah. A good one! 🙂
I will have a cup, on your recommendation!
Darling idea for a picture book! I’m still enjoying the Maple Apple Cider tea . . . but I love Lemon & Ginger too.
I do too, Nancy! Though my supply of maple apple cider has been replenished. 🙂
I’ve just started drinking Lemon Ginger myself. It is very good! Maple Apple Cider is a new one to me. I grew up in Vermont…you’d think I’d know about that one.
Thank you for the interview! I look forward to reading this book and am glad you worked with Uma on it, as great advice turned into the perfect story arc. I like peppermint tea!
I like it too, Lyn. The book is very delightful! It’s now become one of my bedtime books. 🙂
Thank you, Lyn. I was very lucky to work with Uma, who always has the perfect comment that served as a catalyst for revision.
Clever way to travel and to know yjhe differnt parts of the world around a cup od tea. This allows to know the fifferent cultures in the world.
Love ❤
Michel
Merci, Michel! I agree. I enjoyed traveling the world with the Queen. 🙂
Thank you Michael. Tea does seem to be part of almost every culture I’ve ever investigated, whether it is use as a medicine, or simply a source of comfort…which of course, is also medicinal, in its own way.
I am delighted to read if Kate’s new book about how the queen finds the right cup of tea! What a interesting journey to look forward to seeing.
Match is the tea I enjoy most, but I usually drink freshly grated ginger with sqeezed lemon.
I enjoyed illustrating a picturebook called “Let’s have A Tea Party,” where in a very young child experiences her first cup of ( chamomile) tea, all drawn in ochre pencil.
Thanks for stopping by, Gretchen. You have beautiful paintings!
I’d love to see it, Gretchen. Can you send me a link to it?
Pingback: Sometimes, Storms Come | El Space–The Blog of L. Marie