The Story of Chopsticks [Hardcover]

Ying Chang Compestine (Author), YongSheng Xuan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

When Káuai cannot get enough to eat, he begins using sticks to grab food too hot for the hands, and soon all of China uses Káuai zi, or chopsticks.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-A Chinese-American cookbook author invents an explanation for the origin of chopsticks. Long ago, Compestine tells readers, when "all Chinese people ate with their hands," Keai (Quick), the youngest of three boys, was never fast enough to grab some nourishment before his brothers. In desperation born of hunger, he pulled two sticks from the kindling pile and used them to spear chunks of hot food. His family members immediately copied the tools and named them Keai zi (quick ones) after him. When they were invited to a wedding banquet, the brothers, wielding their sticks, gobbled up the delicious, festive dishes. The village children caught on quickly, but the elders had to consider whether using the new implements conflicted with established etiquette. An author's note offers facts about the history of chopsticks, explains how to hold them, describes good table manners in a Confucian context, and gives a simple recipe for one of the dishes served at the wedding feast. Xuan's handsome illustrations, boldly colored cut-paper designs recalling a traditional Chinese art, are abstract enough to suggest the "high and far-off times" of this modern pourquoi tale, yet lively enough to engage viewers. Unlike the spurious "Chop-Sticks," in Arthur B. Chrisman's Shen of the Sea (Dutton, 1968), this story is rooted in Chinese culture and offers American readers an authentic glimpse of its traditions.

Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. The story begins, "Long ago all Chinese people ate with their hands . . ." The three boys in the Kang family love to eat, but little Kuai is always hungry. His dilemma: if he picks up his food too soon, it burns his fingers; if he waits too long, his brothers don't leave enough for him. After he invents chopsticks to solve the problem, his family, then the people of his town, his whole country, and even other countries adopt his innovation. In the cut-paper collage artwork, strips of black paper define each shape and line. The spaces between are filled with other colors. Like the hues in a stained glass window, these look all the more brilliant for their proximity to black. A little long for most preschoolers, this well-designed book will please children in the primary grades most. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823415260
• ISBN-13: 978-0823415267
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ying Chang Compestine is the author of 16 books, including A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, a collection of frightening Chinese ghost stories, and the award winning novel, Revolution is not a Dinner Party, which has received twenty-eight awards, including the ALA Best Books and Notable Books. Ying has been featured on numerous national television and radio programs and in magazines and newspapers. She is the spokesperson for Nestle Maggi and Celestial Seasonings and a frequent contributor to many national magazines.

Ying has visited schools throughout the US and abroad, sharing with students her journey as a writer, how her life in China inspired her writing, and the challenges of writing in her second language. She has lectured on a variety of subjects at writer's conferences and universities, and aboard cruise ships.

Ying is available to talk about her books to book clubs in person, by telephone or online. Ying was born and raised in Wuhan, China. Her website is: www.yingc.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 30 minutes after reading it, u want to read it again, December 11, 2001

By 

Larry Mark "editor of MyJewishBooks.com" (nyc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Story of Chopsticks (Hardcover)

I was attracted to this book by the illustrations by Yongsheng Xuan, which are a folklike cross between classic paper cuttings and stained glass renderings. The story is Ying Chang Compestine's fantasy of how chop sticks (or Kuai-zi (KhWy-zzuh)) (quick sticks) were invented in imperial China over 3,000 years ago. In addition to the story, the reader gets instructions on how to use chopsticks and a recipe of rice pudding with mangoes, maple, cherries and pineapple. The story is interesting and it shows how the ingenuity of a child can be accepted by adults. It also shows how siblings can stand up for each other in the face of adult questioning, and how a family can commercialize an invention for future prosperity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a Happy Reading Mom, July 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Story of Chopsticks (Hardcover)

Another "hit" from Ying Chang Compestine! When I asked my eight year old what he liked best about The Story of Chopsticks, he proceeded to tell me the entire tale. Well, that's the best endorsement....is it not? As for me, anything that encourages thinking outside the box and reminds my young children to wash their hands before eating gets five stars from me!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bought this one because we liked The Runaway Rice Cake, February 23, 2006

By 

Susan Morris-Jackson "Chinafaere" (Lynbrook, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of Chopsticks (Hardcover)

We loved The Runaway Rice Cake but my duaghters and I were disappointed with The Story of Chopsticks. Even though we celebrated Chinese New Year with an orgy of Chinese fairy tales and assorted other books and DVD's appropriate for the holiday, the girls, 4 & 6, did not want to reread this book.