"Wolfe’s splendid narrative tells a story of acceptance and belonging..."

• ASIN: ‎ B0CWFBDB14
• Publisher: ‎ Austin Macauley Publishers (21 Jun. 2024)
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 30 pages
• Genre: Fiction About Friendship for Children

The BookViral Review:

A worthy and equally lovable follow-up to ‘Mice Make the Best Friends’, ‘Tea for Tilly’ sees Tilly and Violet reaching out to make new friends in their new home. The preparations go swimmingly, until latecomer Camila spies Violet perched on the armrest of Tilly’s chair.

What follows is an amusingly told riot of hysterical reaction, which sees all of the guests departing hastily despite Tilly’s gentle reminder that mice are loving creatures and nothing to fear.

Wolfe’s splendid narrative tells a story of acceptance and belonging in both the human and animal worlds and provides a fresh look at the deep-seated stigma of difference. With a soothing and tender narrative that has become familiar through previous stories, she uses humour and empathy in equal measure to create a beautiful tale with a very important message.

Just as Tilly loyally stood up for her friend Violet in the previous book, Violet reciprocates by braving the huge wide world to deliver a message to the prideful Camilla; her words strike a chord, as Camilla sees Violet for her huge heart and not her outward appearance. All ends well as the friends reunite and accept Violet into their friendship group.

Wolfe’s illustrations compliment her lyrical words seamlessly, with cute images which perfectly tap into the emotions of the characters, facilitating young readers to learn how to build non-judgemental connections and broaden their capacity to empathise and become more compassionate. Furthermore, her thoughtfully constructed storyline promotes the development of moral and ethical principles, and the knowledge that others’ happiness is affected by our actions, and nurtures positive thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards others.

Interestingly, Wolfe chooses an age group less written about in children’s literature, giving them insight into the world of older relatives in their own lives separate from their role as Grandparents, thus providing valuable cultural capital in a broader social context.

However, apart from the profound message found amongst its pages, ‘Tea for Tilly’ is quite simply a charming story, perfect for all little people out there, along with their not-so-little loved ones. A five-star read it is an unreservedly recommended Golden Quill read!