Picking Tea with Baba
by Xu Bin; illus. by Yu Yin; trans. from Chinese by Shan Chen
Primary    Charlesbridge    48 pp.
5/25    9781623546236    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781632892683    $9.99

Two siblings join their parents on a rare trip to their baba’s tea garden high in the mountains. Waking before dawn, they hike through thick morning fog, “strapping wicker baskets to [their] backs” and climbing steep paths until they reach the misty fields. There they spend the day picking tea leaves row by row, their hands growing sticky and sore. They chase after bamboo partridges, catch a praying mantis, and drink tea brewed with cool spring water. The day is full of small wonders, from dragonflies circling the garden to a sudden rainstorm that soaks the fields and passes just as quickly. As the sun sets, they sort and bag the leaves, then carefully descend the slippery trail home, delivering their harvest to the tea factory on the way. When their father spots trucks leaving the factory, he proudly calls out, “There go our tea leaves!” Yu’s earthy palette—rich with dark browns, olive greens, and sunlit yellows—roots the story in the landscape. Xu’s text honors the rhythm of nature and tradition and conveys the deep sense of joy that comes from hard work and family unity. Inspired by his own childhood tea-picking days, Xu captures the world through a child’s eyes with warmth and clarity, making this a quietly compelling read.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.