The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors
By Drew Daywalt
Illustrated by Adam Rex
Balzer + Bray, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2017. Picture Book.

Rock was sad. He was the toughest warrior in the Kingdom of Backyard. Nobody could beat him—which made him sad. The fact that there wasn’t another warrior who could match his skill was just depressing. Meanwhile in the Empire of Mom’s Home Office another warrior named Paper was conquering everyone. There wasn’t another warrior in the Empire that could match the skill of Paper—and this made him sad as well. He wished that there was someone who could give him a challenge. Finally in the Kitchen Realm (“in the tiny village of Junk Drawer”) there was a warrior named Scissors. She again was sad that there wasn’t a warrior who could beat her. It was frustrating to always be able to predict that she would win.

Thankfully all three warriors met in the great cavern of Two-Car Garage. There they can all commence in an epic battle that will prove if they are indeed the greatest of all warriors (or not)! And this is the reason why children all around the world play the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. Plus with one adversary that could always beat them, all three warriors lived happily ever after.

So, I think I could go on and on and on about this book. It is clever. It is funny. It is memorable. The text is well crafted (which is what I would expect from the author of The Day the Crayons Quit). And the illustrations are perfect in that they depict the specific warriors (and the other random objects found around the house) and their personalities. Basically, this is one of my new favorites that I think should become a regular part of family bedtime readings (as well as family game night). Love it!

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog