His mum is a spoon. His dad is a fork. And he's a bit of both. He's Spork! Spork sticks out in the regimented world of the cutlery drawer. The spoons think he's too pointy, while the forks find him too round. He never gets chosen to be at the table at mealtimes until one day a very messy ? thing arrives in the kitchen who has never heard of cutlery customs. Will Spork finally find his place at the table? This "multi-cutlery" tale is a humorous and lively commentary on individuality and tolerance. Its high-spirited illustrations capture the experience and emotions of anyone who has ever wondered about their place in the world.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Gr 1-4-Spork is the offspring of a spoon mum and a fork dad, and he feels like a misfit. He watches despondently from the drawer while the other silverware is put on the table. One day, a "messy thing" with no table manners arrives, causing panic among the utensils. Spork's self-esteem is assuaged at last when he turns out to be just what the baby needs to feed itself. While the positive portrayal of a "mixed-race" character is heartwarming, the story's climax actually weakens the metaphor. Spork accepts himself only after receiving the external validation of being used by the infant. Despite the love of parents who think he's perfect, he never really learns to love himself. That said, the lighthearted storytelling and whimsical mixed-media illustrations will draw readers in, and adults will find the book to be a useful conversation starter for the topics of race, difference, and acceptance.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Young Spork—Mum’s a spoon and Dad’s a fork—is a little bit of both, creating endless sorting problems in the kitchen. In an attempt to fit in, Spork dons a hat to look more “spoon-ish ” and later a crown to fit in with the forks, but neither leads to approval. Finally, a messy baby arrives in the human household—spilling, flinging, and dripping with abandon—and Spork turns out to be the perfect eating utensil. Maclear, the daughter of a British father and Japanese mother, writes knowingly of cultural hybridity, and her message of acceptance will resonate, particularly with parents. Arsenault’s digitally assembled, mixed-media illustrations, rendered in gray tones highlighted in red, feature a host of anthropomorphized kitchen utensils sure to delight young listeners. Particularly clever are Spork’s fantasies of other combos: a mixer-juicer and a rolling pin–corkscrew, for example. Although the youngest may miss the text’s interracial implications, they’re sure to catch Mum and Dad’s assurances that Spork is perfect just the way he is. Pair with Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s Spoon (2009). Preschool-Grade 2. --Kay Weisman
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Spork, we learn, is not a spoon or a fork, but a bit of both. His parents think he's perfect just the way he is (of course), but he doesn't seem to fit in elsewhere. The other cutlery ask him what he is, and he never gets picked for the table. He tries to pass first as a spoon, and then as a fork, but the other cutlery don't buy it. The lonely spork seems to have no purpose and he wonders if there are other odd and lonely utensils with no matching kind.
Until, that is, the day that the "messy thing" arrives at the table. The other cutlery are no match for this messy thing. This careless, impatient thing smears and splatters everywhere and the forks and spoons flee in terror, neither being quite right for the messy thing. But perhaps something that is a little bit of both spoon and fork would be just perfect. Spork finally gets his chance at the table, and it's a match made in heaven. The messy thing and Spork are both happy. Just right. There is, apparently, a purpose and a match for every utensil, no matter how different.
I'm white and my husband is black, so our daughters are, obviously, biracial. So far, they've always been in very diverse environments where their features are nothing terribly out of the ordinary. My older daughter (age four) is aware of racial issues on some level - she often compares how dark she and her sister are compared to her father and me. But she doesn't seem to think of herself as unusual or out of place. But I suppose it's a matter of time before both girls will be confronted by their biracial identity and have to make peace with it. This book is the perfect way to introduce the topic in a rather indirect way.
We checked this out at the library, but I promptly added it to my cart. I have a feeling this is a book we might need to haul out from time to time. Recommended especially for biracial kids and their parents, but really for anyone who's ever felt odd and out of place - and isn't that most of us?
Until, that is, the day that the "messy thing" arrives at the table. The other cutlery are no match for this messy thing. This careless, impatient thing smears and splatters everywhere and the forks and spoons flee in terror, neither being quite right for the messy thing. But perhaps something that is a little bit of both spoon and fork would be just perfect. Spork finally gets his chance at the table, and it's a match made in heaven. The messy thing and Spork are both happy. Just right. There is, apparently, a purpose and a match for every utensil, no matter how different.
I'm white and my husband is black, so our daughters are, obviously, biracial. So far, they've always been in very diverse environments where their features are nothing terribly out of the ordinary. My older daughter (age four) is aware of racial issues on some level - she often compares how dark she and her sister are compared to her father and me. But she doesn't seem to think of herself as unusual or out of place. But I suppose it's a matter of time before both girls will be confronted by their biracial identity and have to make peace with it. This book is the perfect way to introduce the topic in a rather indirect way.
We checked this out at the library, but I promptly added it to my cart. I have a feeling this is a book we might need to haul out from time to time. Recommended especially for biracial kids and their parents, but really for anyone who's ever felt odd and out of place - and isn't that most of us?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By FIRR-Kids!
Spork is a cross between a spoon and a fork. He has the rounded lower head of spoon, but on top of that poke three short tines of a fork. His mother is a beautiful spoon and his father is a sharp looking fork. Unfortunately for Spork, cutlery mixing is not common place and he sticks out like a sort thumb in the cutlery drawer. In Spork's kitchen, knives marry knives and spoons stick to their own kind. Poor Spork.
As you might think, Spork feels quite out of place. To fit in, he tries to appear to more spoonish by wearing a bowler hat. This fools no one. He makes himself a paper crown to appear more forkish, but this too falls flat. At dinner time, Spork watches wistfully from the sidelines while others grace the dinner table. His feet remain dry while they enjoy a post-dinner bubble filled soak in the sink.
Until one day ... a very messy thing arrives in the kitchen. This thing has no table manners and slops food from one side of the kitchen to the other. The forks and spoons are in a tizzy because not one of them can keep up with the demands. The thing needs something that was neither spoon nor fork, but a bit of both. Enter Spork, who is just a bit round and just a bit pointy - absolutely perfect (for this thing called a baby)! And so Spork arrives at the dinner table and remains there for many, many meals to come.
Aw, I think this is such a cute book filled with beautiful illustrations. I would never have imagined a really great children's book would be written about something as mundane as a spork, but there you have it. All the utensils are drawn so sweetly, with unique expressions and clothing. And I love how the story is set up so that the cutlery drawer is a whole way of life. Smart writing and the wonderful illustrations make this a winner! And if you really need another reason, there's the little lesson of not discriminating against a utensil (or person) based on appearance.
As you might think, Spork feels quite out of place. To fit in, he tries to appear to more spoonish by wearing a bowler hat. This fools no one. He makes himself a paper crown to appear more forkish, but this too falls flat. At dinner time, Spork watches wistfully from the sidelines while others grace the dinner table. His feet remain dry while they enjoy a post-dinner bubble filled soak in the sink.
Until one day ... a very messy thing arrives in the kitchen. This thing has no table manners and slops food from one side of the kitchen to the other. The forks and spoons are in a tizzy because not one of them can keep up with the demands. The thing needs something that was neither spoon nor fork, but a bit of both. Enter Spork, who is just a bit round and just a bit pointy - absolutely perfect (for this thing called a baby)! And so Spork arrives at the dinner table and remains there for many, many meals to come.
Aw, I think this is such a cute book filled with beautiful illustrations. I would never have imagined a really great children's book would be written about something as mundane as a spork, but there you have it. All the utensils are drawn so sweetly, with unique expressions and clothing. And I love how the story is set up so that the cutlery drawer is a whole way of life. Smart writing and the wonderful illustrations make this a winner! And if you really need another reason, there's the little lesson of not discriminating against a utensil (or person) based on appearance.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
I think this is a great book for kids in general - I bought it for my child and the cousins who are all of mixed ethnic backgrounds.
Published 5 months ago by H. Watanabe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be Yourself
His dad is a fork and his mom is a spoon, But what is he? He's a spork of course. He doesn't fit in, not with all the forks and not with all the spoons. Read more
Published on January 18, 2011 by Trisha S
3.0 out of 5 stars
Will kiddies gobble this tale up? Maybe.
A story about fitting in - and how unusual to use a spork to tell it. Kids will have fun guessing what the messy thing is that comes to the kitchen that only Spork can handle. Read more
Published on October 5, 2010 by Lisa Barker
4.0 out of 5 stars
Appealed to 6-year-old boy
Oh what do you do when you are an odd piece of cutlery? You don't match up like the other silverware, and you are rarely used. Read more
Published on September 22, 2010 by Jennifer Donovan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful!
The illustrations in this book worked so well with the story.
Another charming book illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.
Another charming book illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.
Published on September 19, 2010 by Walter Silva
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!
This was an impulse buy, I admit. The story of Spork, half fork- half spoon, is one many children, particularly those who come from blended families, will love.
Published on September 2, 2010 by J'CAT
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