The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors

This is great fun. Drew Daywalt and Adam Rex imagine rock, paper and scissors as champions of their particular domestic realms. Rock dominates in the Kingdom of Backgarden; Paper reigns in the Empire of Mum’s Study; and Scissors is top girl in the Kitchen Realm. Dissatisfied with the competition in their local leagues, they set out to find challengers wider afield and so meet to duel in the great cavern of Two-Car Garage. Here the entirely predictable outcome, in which every titan wins and every titan loses, causes all three to be surprised and delighted. There are some ingenious initial opponents for the champions in each realm: a clothes peg for Rock; a computer printer for Paper; and dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets for Scissors. There’s a lot of verbal zest from Daywalt, with boasts and insults preceding each bout. This is perfectly matched by Rex’s dramatic illustrations, and a typography which roars out the fighting talk: solid and deep for Rock, jagged and screechy for Scissors, and smooth and sinister for Paper. This is a book for any child who has set his or her toys against one another in a battle royal and supplied a commentary to the mayhem. Or any child who can recognise that sometimes just being a big fish in a small pool is not challenge enough. An inventive tale realised with verbal and visual gusto.