Chopsticks Are

Animated images and buoyant prose pay tribute to the use of chopsticks globally in a mouthwatering picture book from Ito Ward and Scurfield. Opening with chopsticks’ use as a flexible cooking tool and eating utensil, pages next outline chopstick characteristics in variations “rotated and rolled,” “square like bento boxes,” and similar to “qipao, hanbok, kimono, oráodài.” And a final section uses synecdoche to describe the objects via specific traditions and traits: “Chopsticks are family gathered around the table.” Acrylic ink- and acrylic gouache-washed spreads with digital linework vary from implement and dish close-ups to familial scenes. Layered text and image build to a sumptuous feast in this celebratory, culturally rich accounting. Characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. An author’s note and contextualizing information conclude. Ages 3–5. (Mar.)