Amy Krouse Rosenthal, author of the popular 2009 picture book Spoon, has written another funny, sweet story that, according to the subtitle, is less a sequel than a “change in place setting.” The reader need not have read Spoon to enjoy Chopsticks, but the latter will certainly inspire you to read the former.
While the protagonist Spoon in the earlier book learns to appreciate his own talents and not be envious of others’ abilities, the Chopsticks have the opposite problem. How can you be independent and unique when you have a partner who can do everything that you can do? How do you learn to do something on your own when all your life you’ve done things that required two of you? After one Chopstick suffers a break and must be still and recuperate, the other Chopstick is left to figure out what he can do by himself.
Written in a style that every child can relate to—with a few perfect puns thrown in as well—Chopsticks is both enlightening and wonderfully silly. Illustrator Scott Magoon’s colorful pictures brilliantly show off Rosenthal’s lively story. Like Spoon, this book is sure to be a hit with readers of all levels.
