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    Spork
    Spork
    Spork
    Ebook34 pages13 minutes

    Spork

    By Isabelle Arsenault and Kyo Maclear

    4/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A humorous “multi-cutlery” tale about how Spork — half spoon, half fork — finally finds his place at the table. A charming story for anyone who has ever wondered about their place in the world.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKids Can Press
    Release dateJan 29, 2014
    ISBN9781554538447
    Spork
    Author

    Isabelle Arsenault

    ISABELLE ARSENAULT is an internationally renowned children’s book illustrator. Her award-winning books include Jane, the Fox and Me and Louis Undercover by Fanny Britt, Spork and Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear, Cloth Lullaby by Amy Novesky (BolognaRagazzi Award) and Colette’s Lost Pet, which marked her debut as an author. She has won the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature three times, and three of her picture books have been named as New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. Isabelle lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her family.

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    Reviews for Spork

    4/5

    73 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The offspring of a union between a spoon and a fork, Spork never quite felt at home with either community of cutlery. Too round for the forks and two pointed for the spoons, he didn't fit in. Worse than that, he didn't seem to have a purpose on the dinner table. Until the day, that is, that a messy thing arrived in his world, and needed exactly what he had to offer...This amusing tale from Kyo Maclear, herself the daughter of a British father and a Japanese mother, is intended as a metaphorical exploration of the experiences of a biracial child. As such, it offers a fairly fun and creative way of looking at the feelings such a child might have, in terms of issues of community and belonging. The accompanying mixed media artwork by Isabelle Arsenault, who has worked on such books as Cloth Lullaby and You Belong Here, are muted but appealing. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about mixed-race families and children, explored in a somewhat offbeat fashion.
    • 5/5
      “Spork” was a great book with a very insightful message. First, I really liked the book because of the character Spork. The book describes Spork as a combination of a fork and a spoon who sticks out compared to the rest of his kitchen who are all strictly one type of utensil. Spork always felt left out and tried to conform to just one side of his unique makeup, but was rejected by both the forks and the spoons. A line in the book says, “Spork wondered if there were other lonely creatures out there with no matching kind, who never got chosen to be at the table.” I think that Spork is a very relatable character, because like Spork everyone has felt out of place and like they don’t belong anywhere at some point in their lives. I also liked the book because of the message it sends about the struggles some interracial people face. In the beginning of the book the author says, “In Spork’s kitchen, forks were forks and spoons were spoons, Cutlery customs were followed closely. Mixing was uncommon. Naturally, there were rules breakers: knives who loved chopsticks, tongs who married forks. But such families were unusual.” Spork also was very conflicted when it came to his identity, because he was not accepted by either the forks or the spoons. I thought the author did an excellent job of describing to children in a way they could understand, how shunning someone and making them feel worthless based on their outward appearance can do a lot of damage to their self-worth. The main idea of” Spork” is to showcase that all people (or things in this case) have value, no matter what they look like or where they come from. To recap, Spork was a neglected kitchen utensil who did not feel like he fit in anywhere. However, at the end of the book a mysterious messy creature comes along which none of the spoons or forks could help. The author says, “But this messy thing with its slurpy and clumpy half-finished food bits needed something else. Something that could do all sorts of things at once. Something flexible and easy to hold. Something that was neither spoon nor fork but a bit of both.” The mysterious, messy creature (which turned out to be a baby) saw Spork and grabbed him, knowing that Spork was the perfect utensil for him. The last line of the book says, “And that’s how Spork finally and happily found his way to the table.” This line embodies the main idea of “Spork” which is to show that all people have a purpose in life and fit in somewhere, no matter whom they are or where they come from.
    • 5/5
      This is such a nice book to teachyour child about individuality, inclusivity and acceptance. The illustrations were also cute. I just wished it was a bit more colorful.
    • 3/5
      This is a book dealing with multi-race or multi-ethnic families. In this book they use cutlery to present this notion. Spork has part of his mom, a spoon, and his dad, a fork. He is never picked when someone sets the table, he never gets the bubble bath after a meal and he is shunned by both the spoons and the forks. This story highlights that there is a place in the world for everyone. You just have to find it. Luckily for Spork, when neither the forks or spoons could handle the baby, he got the chance to show what he could do. The illustrations are detailed but with little colour. The expressions on some of the cutlery is scary at times, but Spork is quite adorable. I think it is important to help children explore how we are all different, but I am not sure if they will get the multi-race aspect from this book. This story could be used in various discussions such as all families are different, bullying by omission, finding your purpose and strengths, be true to yourself and so on. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley.
    • 4/5
      Story: 4 stars. Good, original storytelling. Some of the vocabulary might be too advanced for its intended age group, but that's just an opportunity to teach kids big words, right?

      Illustrations: 4 stars. The illustrations look mid-century modern, as created by a child. And this is a compliment! They are cute, bursting with imagination, and expressive despite the limited color palette.
    • 3/5
      I had hoped this book would answer my long-held question about why the spork was called a spork and not a foon. Alas, that mystery remains. Unable to fit in with either forks or spoons, little spork stakes at its own identity. Enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      Chubby
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      FAT Chubby Hipster

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Usually, the kids and I go to the library during the week while my husband is at work. For some reason, we needed to stop there one Saturday, and my husband got to go with us. While I was enjoying some stollen child-free moments in the "grown-up books" section upstairs, my husband was browsing the picture books with the kids.

      When I rejoined the rest of my family, my husband excitedly showed me the handful of books he'd discovered for the children. Spork was one of them. He and my three-year-old son really enjoyed this book. They read it nearly every night for the six weeks that we had it out from the library. I read it to my son much less frequently, but found it enjoyable when I did read it.

      It's a kind of modern-day "Ugly Duckling" tale of being born different and, after struggling unsuccessfully to fit in, finally one day finding one's true calling and place in life. I don't quite get why the spork was the only utensil that could manage the messy thing, but it was cute and harmless enough, and I don't feel compelled to overanalyze a children's picture book.
    • 4/5
      Spork, the titular character of this picture book, does not fit in. His mother was a spoon, his father a fork, he is neither. No one knows quite what he is, or how they can use him. Spork would much rather just be either spoon or fork, instead of wondering what he is and where he belongs. This is until he finds out that sometimes, we just need to find our place in the world, even if detractors think we can't.The illustrations in this somewhat charming tale really make the story, the silvery hues of the kitchen utensils are warm and matted at times and harsh when necessary, highlighted with pleasant shades of red.Children between 4 and 6 with multi-cultural heritages will appreciate this simple story of finding your place within a world that doesn't understand you.
    • 4/5
      Age: Primary, IntermediateMedia: DigitalGenre: Modern FantasyThis is a modern fantasy book because it is about a "spork" and other pieces of silverware that act as if they were people. The theme of this book is to always be happy with who you are, no matter what.

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    Spork - Isabelle Arsenault

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