This post marks my return to Susan Leonard Halls’ Perfect Picture Book Friday. This review will be a little different to conform to the guidelines of PPBF. Hope you enjoy and don’t forget to visit other PPBF posts.
The Story of Chopsticks
Series: Amazing Chinese Inventions #1
Written by Ying Chang Compestine
Illustrated by YongSheng
Published by Immedium, 4/05/2016
978-1-59702-120-3
36 pages    Ages 4—8

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Themes/Topics: learn to use chopsticks, dinner manners, Chinese history

Opening: “Long ago, all Chinese people ate with their hands, including members of the Kang family. The three Kang boys Pan, Ting, and especially the youngest Kùai, loved to eat. Yet he [Kùai] never seemed to get enough food and ways always hungry.”
Brief Synopsis: Kùai, the youngest of three boys, never gets enough to eat. One night, Kùai finds two sticks. While his family waits for their dinner to cool, Kùai uses his sticks to spear a piece of meat and a hunk of sweet potato. To honor Kùai, they called the sticks ‘Kùai zi” (pronounced (Khwy-zzuh), meaning “quick one.” In America, these sticks are known as chopsticks.

Links To Resources: A recipe for Sweet Eight Treasures Rice Pudding and author notes on the history of chopsticks, Confucianism, and the centuries old rules for eating with chopsticks in the back matter. Game called Chopstick Chase can be found at: http://bit.ly/ChopstickChaseActivity
Why I Like This Book: While it blends fact with fiction, the story is relatable for any child who goes hungry for any reason. I like how the author tells kids about the hierarchy of early China, with village leaders answering to the emperor. The book also goes into proper table manners including who eats first in a multigenerational family. The cut paper illustrations look like mosaics one might find in a church windowpane. They definitely resemble traditional Chinese art of long ago. I really like this series. It involves the history of Chinese inventions that are now used the world over without much thought as to where they originated. The series has books on paper, kites, noodles, and chopsticks. The series, Amazing Chinese Inventions, is bilingual English and (I believe) simplified Chinese, perfect for kids learning either language. All of these books are perfect for Multicultural Children’s Book Day on January 27th.
A favorite book reviewer I know is named on the back jacket flap. A blurb from his review of The Julie Black Belt Series reads : “The Julie Black Belt books are a GREAT series for kids! I give this book and series 5 out of 5 bookworms!” –This Kid Reviews Books

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THE STORY OF CHOPSTICKS (AMAZING CHINESE INVENTIONS #1). Text copyright © 2016 by Ying Chang Compestine. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by YongSheng Xuan. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Immedium, San Francisco, CA.

Amazon—Indie Books—Immedium

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Reprinted with permission from THE STORY OF CHOPSTICKS (AMAZING CHINESE INVENTIONS #1) © 2016 by Ying Chang Compestine, Immedium. Illustrations © 2016 by YongSheng Xuan.

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Copyright © 2017 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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The Story of Chopsticks
Series: Amazing Chinese Inventions #1
Written by Ying Chang Compestine
Illustrated by YongSheng
Published by Immedium, 4/05/2016
9781597021203