While her mother attends an English as a Second Language (ESL) class, Luli and the children of other ESL learners from various countries spend the time in childcare in the classroom next door. As none of them speak English yet, the kids engage in mostly solitary play—until Luli comes up with an idea. The next day, she carefully unpacks the components for tea at a round table: teapot, thermos of hot water, and a ball of dried green tea leaves. Setting the tea to steep, she takes a breath and calls to the classroom at large, “Chá!” (The Chinese character for “tea” is used, helpfully followed by its transliteration.) The word, though not exactly the same, is familiar to the other kids in the room, and each of them repeat in their own language, “Tea?” There’s “shay” in Arabic, “chay” in Russian, “chah-hee” in Farsi, “teh” in Hebrew, and many more. As they gather around the table, Luli pours them each a cup of tea … and then they all pour a bit of their own portion into Luli’s empty cup. The shared ritual breaks the ice (Luli’s box of cookies helps, too) and soon the children are playing together. Luli’s courage and cleverness shine in this story of cross-cultural connection. Back matter includes information about how tea is traditionally enjoyed in each of the children’s home countries.     (Ages 3-7)