Chopsticks

In a busy harbor, in the faraway island of Hong Kong, there is a floating restaurant. This restaurant is home to Chopsticks, a tiny gray mouse. Chopsticks befriends a wooden dragon who wants to fly. On the night of the full moon, during Chinese New Year, they share a high-flying adventure with the help of Old Fu, the dragon’s creator.

PreSchool-Grade 3–In Hong Kong, there is a floating restaurant that a mouse calls home. One New Year's night, after it has closed, a wooden dragon that is coiled around one of the large pillars in the entrance tells him of his wish to fly, but that only Old Fu, the carver, knows how to bring him to life. Chopsticks goes to the elderly man to learn his secret and returns to release the dragon. They fly into the night sky, and continue to do so every time the moon is full. The text is somewhat trite compared to the fabulous artwork. The vividly painted pictures appear to be acrylic based and provide colorful and enchanting backdrops for the story. The scenes are so intriguing that they will have readers lingering on each page to enjoy the details.–Amanda Conover Le, St. Johns County Public Library System, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
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Gr. 2-4. Chopsticks, a small gray mouse, lives in a Hong Kong restaurant in the shadow of two enormous, carved wooden dragons. One dragon longs to see the world and asks Chopsticks to consult Fu, the old carver, whose magic frees the dragon. Together, the friends travel the world at every full moon. Large, lush paintings depict an appealing, nonthreatening dragon, richly evoked Hong Kong landscapes, and dreamlike evening travels. Like James Daugherty's Andy and the Lion (1989), Chopsticks demonstrates the symbiotic benefits of cooperation in a charming story with an Asian flavor. Linda Perkins
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