Royal Tea Party- Phoebe Dupree is Coming to Tea- A Read Aloud About Friendship

Hey everyone, thank you for joining me today and a very special thanks to those of you who are here supporting Imagination Sensory Play through the purchase of your Sensory Bin or Play-Doh kit. I picked this book up from the library to pair perfectly with your Royal Tea Party kit. It's called Phoebe Dupree is Coming to Tea and it's written by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Aaliyah Marley. Let's take a closer look inside and see what these fantastic young ladies are up to. To Phoebe, please come to tea. Date, Saturday. Time, 3 p.m. Abby. There's so much to do. She'll be here at 3. Phoebe Dupree is coming to tea. Have you met Phoebe? Miss Phoebe Dupree? Phoebe's as perfect as perfect can be. Phoebe is speedy. Phoebe is smart. She's equally brilliant at science and art. She sings like a bird. She's never off key. And Phoebe Dupree is coming to tea. I bathe and brush Louie, then lay down the law. You'll greet Phoebe nicely with one gentle paw. You cannot go digging or jump in the pool. No barking, no lunging, no shedding, no drool. We have to be perfect, beginning to end, or Phoebe will not want to visit again. I've layered a tray with tarts and eclairs and lined up the guests, one doll and two bears. I bring out the flowers, the china and tea. Now everything's perfect for Phoebe Dupree. I wonder what Phoebe is going to wear. A flowery hat or bows in her hair? Ruffles or polka dots? Yellows or blues? Beads or a boa? What kind of shoes? At last, we're all ready. It's just before three. Then ding dong, the doorbell. It's Phoebe Dupree. Hi, Abby. Hi, Phoebe. I welcome her in. Louie bows sweetly. She scratches his chin. Then oh so politely, she sits in her seat. Here, have some tea while I bring in the treats. The tray is really heavy. I'll make it. I'm strong. Five steps and I'm shaking. Can't hold it for long. Then right near the table, the tray starts to slip. It bobbles, it wobbles. I stumble, then trip. The cupcakes and eclairs are tossed in the air. Phoebe jumps up and jostles a chair, which rattles the table. It teeters, then tips. She loses her balance. The whole table flips. The tea cups, the cupcakes, your jacket, your dress. What a disaster. Oh, what a mess. Then Louie runs in, all wet from the pool. He shakes and cascades us with water and drool. The room is in shambles, chaotic and sad. Things are not perfect. They're perfectly bad. This tea party's over. It's finished. It's done. Oh, Phoebe says, this is going to be fun. She kicks off her shoes and shakes out her bows. She kneels to kiss Louie, smack dab on the nose. She picks up a cupcake, presents me with half. Her majesty's finest. Then I start to laugh. We rescue the treats, smushed but still sweet. Then sit side by side as we chatter and eat. This bear's wearing sprinkles. There's glaze on the doll. The flowers are bent. Do you mind? Not at all. This tea party's perfect, says Phoebe Dupree. It's not how I planned it, but still, I agree. Thank you for joining me so much today. I hope this inspired your play. Have a great day.