Chimpanzees for Tea!

by Jo Empson

One day, Vincent s mother asks him to go to the store to pick up a few items: a bunch of carrots, a box of rice, some China tea, a big, firm pear, and a tin of peas to be precise. And hurry home in time for dinner! she says. Remembering a grocery list that long is hard enough, but it becomes even more challenging when you have friendly neighbors distracting you at every turn! All of a sudden, a tin of peas is replaced by a trapeze; a big, firm pear becomes a big furry bear; and a box of rice transforms into a box of mice! By the time Vincent gets to the store, he has created a very different grocery list! This fun story is filled with repetition, a bit of rhyming, fresh, childlike art, and just the right type of silly humor that is appealing to kids.