The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors tells an origin story for the classic hand game played by children worldwide. The tale follows three warriors - Rock, Paper, and Scissors - who each seek worthy opponents in their respective kingdoms. The warriors embark on quests through household locations like the garden, the kitchen drawer, and the home office. At each stop, they challenge local objects to battle, testing their unique fighting abilities against various everyday items. Each character possesses distinct combat skills and personality traits that shape their journey toward an inevitable meeting. The book presents their story through bold illustrations and dramatic battle sequences. This picture book transforms a simple game into an epic adventure about finding one's place and purpose. The narrative speaks to themes of friendly competition, self-discovery, and the unexpected connections that can emerge between rivals.

Readers call the book hilarious and engaging for both children and adults, with several noting they laugh out loud during read-alouds. Parents and teachers report that kids request repeated readings and enjoy acting out the battles. Strengths: - Bold, expressive illustrations that capture the warriors' personalities - Clever origin story for a familiar game - Works well as a performance piece - Appeals to kids who enjoy competitive play and combat themes Criticisms: - Some find the warrior/battle theme too aggressive - Text can be challenging for beginning readers - Price point feels high for length Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (3,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.8/5 (2,900+ ratings) Notable comments: "Perfect for reading with different voices" - School librarian "My 5-year-old son belly laughs every time" - Parent reviewer "The artwork alone makes it worth buying" - Elementary teacher "Too focused on fighting for my preschool class" - Teacher reviewer

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🎮 The story is formatted like a battle video game, with dramatic "versus" scenes and playful dialogue between the characters. 📚 Author Drew Daywalt also wrote the bestselling "The Day the Crayons Quit" and its sequel, which have sold millions of copies worldwide. ✂️ The game Rock Paper Scissors has been played since ancient China, where it was known as "shoushiling." It spread to Japan in the 17th century as "jan-ken." 🏆 The book won the E.B. White Read Aloud Award in 2018 and was named one of Time Magazine's Top 10 Children's Books of 2017. 🎨 The illustrations by Adam Rex use dramatic angles and dynamic poses inspired by superhero comics and wrestling posters to bring extra excitement to the story.