Bella's Summer Reading Circle

Bella Thornton lives at 43 Chesterfield Street in Cloverdale. She is six years old and is enjoying her summer very much. Yesterday was her first tea party for the girls in her summer reading circle. Each member arrived by carriage bringing a copy of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Tea was served using Bella's finest hand decorated Royal Dolton cups and saucers with hand painted periwinkles. The girls had an assortment of Cadbury's biscuits and cream cakes from Moss’s Wonderland Bakery to choose from for refreshment.

Bella Thornton played hostess. She asked every attending member to wear a hat. She and her mother spent the first part of the morning at the Salvation Army Thrift Store finding something for Bella. Bella was particular and understood that the right hat would set the mood for any social event.

Bella was careful to direct the tea into a discussion and not a reading. She has dyslexia. The letters and words appear jumbled on the printed page. She hides her disability well by relying on her parents. The night before Tea, her father read the book to her at bedtime. Mother reread the book to her before breakfast. She was ready for the discussion.

Mrs. Thornton is happy to see how well her daughter handles herself in a social gathering. She is even more pleased to see Bella using the plastic tea service Santa left her on Christmas morning. “Imagination is everything,” Mrs. Thornton was overheard saying while shopping for the discounted day old bakery cookies at Piggly Wiggly. “I buy the day old cookies and Bella serves them as Cadbury’s biscuits and Moss Wonderland Bakery cream cakes. Aren’t children something?”