Spoon (Place Setting Picture Book, A) [Hardcover]

Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Author), Scott Magoon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: April 7, 2009 | Age Range: 2 - 6 years | Series: Place Setting Picture Book, A

Meet Spoon.

He’s always been a happy little utensil.  But lately, he feels like life as a spoon just isn’t cutting it.  He thinks Fork, Knife, and The Chopsticks all have it so much better than him.  But do they?  And what do they think about Spoon?  A book for all ages, Spoon serves as a gentle reminder to celebrate what makes us each special. 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Spoon is a spoon who is feeling down because his life is not as exciting as those of his friends Knife, Fork, and Chopsticks. He covets their thrilling jobs and unique styles (“And Chopsticks! They are so lucky! Everyone thinks they’re really cool and exotic.”). As it turns out, the other culinary implements think Spoon is the one who has it made—who else gets to bang on pots, dive into a bowl of ice cream, or relax in hot cup of tea? Invigorated by these reassurances, Spoon can’t sleep and so hops into bed with his parents and, you guessed it, spoons. The details included in Magoon’s artwork are laugh-out-loud funny: in the Spoon family photo, black-sheep Spork can be seen looking woeful off to the side; there is a cute gag about a dish who ran away with a spoon; and the depiction of the Chopsticks as a couple of deadly serious ballroom dancers prancing around a plate of sushi is indelible. Rosenthal’s creation is adorable and funny and will be embraced by both children and parents. Preschool-Grade 1. --Daniel Kraus

About the Author

Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the author of picture book favorites such as Little Pea. Little Hoot, Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, and The OK Book. She has also written several books for adults including Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. She lives with her family in Chicago.


Scott Magoon is the author and illustrator of Hugo & Miles in I've Painted Everything. He also illustrated The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating by A. W. Flaherty and Ugly Fish by Kara Lareau. He lives outside of Boston with his wife and children.

Product Details

• Age Range: 2 - 6 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423106857
• ISBN-13: 978-1423106852
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.4 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Values

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spoon April 21, 2009

By Kirsten G. Cutler

Format:Hardcover

This is an absolutely darling book with a perfect marriage of author and illustrator. One day, little Spoon sits on the edge of a bowl full of blueberries: he "had been feeling blue" so his mother who is lying on a napkin at the edge of the place mat asks him what is wrong. She comments, "You look a bit out of shape." Spoon tells her that he is envious of his friends, the Knife and the Fork who both have more fun than he does. He remarks that "Fork is so lucky! She gets to go practically EVERYWHERE. I bet she never goes stir-crazy like I do." A series of very cute pictures show Fork snagging lettuce and cucumber from a salad dish, twirling spaghetti, and reveal its tines deeply submerged in a piece of cake. Mother acknowledges his feelings but then reminds him about the many fun things that he can do including diving into a bowlful of ice cream. This insightful fable highlights the importance of accepting yourself. There is a wonderful picture of Mother and Father Spoon lying in one section of a drawer and Spoon peers at them over the drawer divider, his chin resting on one arm and says, "I can't sleep." The father replies, "Come, snuggle" and the mother chimes in, "Come, Spoon" (parents may need to explain why they are chortling). The illustrations are very colorful and full of humor, and despite a small format, clear enough to share in a story time.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an adorable cuddle up and read in a rocking chair you won't want to miss! June 14, 2009

By D. Fowler TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Spoon had a large family. There were all kinds of spoons in his family. There were teaspoons, drawing spoons, measuring spoons, soup ladles, tasting spoons, coffee spoons, dessert spoons, fancy ones and plain ones. If you could name it, they were in Spoon's family. On Sunday when they went to visit his prim and proper Aunt Silver he had to behave himself (talk about fancy!). At night his mother would read him a story about his "adventurous great-grandmother, who fell in live with a dish and ran off to a distant land." That was a story that made him smile!

What didn't make him smile was the fact that he was a bit jealous of his friends, the fork, the knife and the chopsticks. They could do all kinds of things he couldn't do like fork up a salad, swirl up spaghetti, slice up a piece of cake and even pick up sushi. But what Spoon didn't know was that they were all talking behind his back and were very jealous of him. "Spoon is so lucky!" they were all saying and telling everyone the fun things Spoon could do that they couldn't. Was Spoon ever going to understand and realize just how lucky he was?

This is a delightful story with a serious message that can be read to the young child whether or not they are experiencing jealousy issues. A story like this can reassure and assure them that each one of us has some very special assets that others look at and admire (and sometimes are jealous of). We are all very unique with special qualities. Spoon's friends "will never know the joy of diving headfirst into a bowl of ice cream." This is an adorable cuddle up and read in a rocking chair you won't want to miss!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE IT!! September 23, 2009

By F. Farmer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My 3-year-old son LOVES this book. It's all about a spoon who is jealous of his friends Knife, Fork and Chopsticks. Then you find out what they're saying about HIM! He comes to realize that being a spoon is pretty fun after all. The illustrations are just perfect and very entertaining. It's a short book, but when we read it, we really make emphasis on what everyone is saying, so that makes it more exiting. It's fun.