Tea is Love

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Author(s)

Adib Khorram

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Hanna Cha

Publisher

Dial Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

October 28, 2025

ISBN

978-0593618530

Buy This Book

A lyrical ode to the warmth, comfort, and traditions of tea drinking, from award-winning author Adib Khorram and Caldecott Honor and the APALA winner Hanna Cha

Tea is a plant. Tea is a ceremony. But most of all, tea is love.

Whether it's part of an elaborate ceremony, or a quiet cup brewed for one, tea holds a special place in the hearts of millions. This poignant, lovely picture book celebrates the practice of tea-drinking across various cultures and countries, and meditates on the many meaning the ritual holds.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Where Would We Be Without Tea?

November 30, 2025 (Updated: June 29, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

As someone who drinks more than my fair share of tea, I'm always glad to read about that particularly fortifying beverage in books like Nicey and Wifey's 2004 A Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down or Perkins' new The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery. In fact, looking in vain on my local library's website for a history of tea that I read a few years ago, I came across a large numbers of books involving tea that I really want to read.

Picture books are harder to find, other than another favorite, Hoban's 1970 A Bargain for Francis, which is really more about the tea set. My grandson is being raised in (gasp!) a household of coffee drinkers, so Tea is Love is a perfect book to read on repeat to reinforce the idea that a nice cuppa should be the preferred drink.

Good Points

This starts with the line "Tea is a plant", which is something I try to think more about. We then see, in lushly illustrated panels, how tea is served in different places of the world. Tea is shown being prepared by children watching an online video on how to make matcha, and even shows up with children in an online class and at a wedding. My favorite panels are probably the ones illustrating "Tea is a cozy morning", and "Tea is a warm hug", in which a little girl prepares chai and takes it in a thermos to a neighbor. All of these show the main assertion of the book, which is "Tea is love".

This put me in mind a bit of Gilbert O'Sullivan's Where Would We Be (Without Tea) video that came out a few years back, although the illustrations are MUCH better. Cha's pictures have a very cozy feeling, with strong black outlines and warm browns and yellows. These strong backgrounds make the wispy lines of the steam coming off various cups of tea stand out even more. There is a nice variety of locations and types of tea, but the constant is hands holding warm cups.

An author's note talks a bit about the history of tea, and its importance in other cultures. It was slightly surprising that the enormous role tea plays in British culture is not discussed, but that is no doubt due to the problematic colonial history.

Brew a cup of your favorite tea to share with a little one while reading Waissbluth ond O'Byrne's Teatime Around the World, Miyakoshi's Tea Party in the Woods, and Gu's Bitter Tea and Rock Candy and perhaps munching on a biscuit or cookie. I'll keep Tea is Love on hand for when I dust off my copy of Kirk's Miss Spider's Tea Party and my mother's Akro Agate tea set for my grandson's first tea party.

Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer #1 Reviewer 2477 reviews

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Celebration of Tea Rituals

November 24, 2025 (Updated: June 29, 2026)

Overall rating

3.8

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Tea is Love is a beautiful story about the warmth, comfort, and tradition of tea drinking.

What I Liked: This book opens with the role that tea plays for others by stating that tea is love, and then goes into other things that tea is, such as a rainbow, a journey, or a warm morning. The repetition in this book makes it easy for younger children to read independently, and each page contains only a few words to hold a younger audience’s attention. The illustrations throughout this book are warm, inviting, and gorgeous. They remind you of holidays with your family and coming home after a long day, being welcomed through the door by your pets.

Final Verdict: Tea is Love highlights the diverse roles that tea plays for various people, such as being part of a ceremony, a quiet cup brewed for one, or a cup to share with others. Children ages 4 and up will delight in learning about the various purposes of tea and celebrate the various tea drinking practices in other cultures and countries. This book also explains the many meanings that the ritual of tea drinking holds and how to include others in these practices.