Paper in a Land of Rocks and Scissors

by Christopher Keane, K.J. Keane (Illustrator)

"At the beach paper got a bit wet. When damp paper gets quite upset. So you can see why, paper lay out to dry, On a rock where it’s hot ‘til sunset. … Afar paper sees some flocks. But are they doves, bees or hawks? When scissors drew near, that they shear grew clear, and in fear papers flew off their rocks. Had papers stayed tight and steady, for the raid they might have been ready. But scissors like sharks would bite easy marks, afraid papers frayed to confetti.” Paper’s peaceful beach holiday becomes an endless rock-paper-scissors ruckus. But then Paper and Pen join forces to sketch out some crazy solutions, while developing a more positive outlook and a better view of the world and how it works. Young readers will likewise appreciate the positive message about dealing with adversity and gain better view of the world’s workings. The book also gives you access to several rock-paper-scissors computer games, allowing readers to watch the rock-paper-scissors drama unfold over time. After studying interactions in ecosystems and society, the Drs. Keane wondered how they would introduce such things to their young daughter. One of their collaborative projects addressing this challenge is this kooky picture book, which uses hilarious drawings (by artist KJ Keane) and verse (by Chris Keane) to show paper and pen learning about predator-prey eco-systems. If you like, you can continue the fun adventure with a companion science book (available through amazon), computer games, and board game about rock-paper-scissors dynamics in predator-prey systems. Learn about these at www.flockecogames.com

36 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a giveaway contest. It was a book with an interesting insight on how to view the world's problems. There were times when I was reading it, that I wasn't sure if there were some typing errors or if that was just how it was meant to be structured: "Until feeling the crunch of rocks that and hack and crack." Or "When scissors drew near, that they shear grew clear." Overall I think it's a cute book and I like how they are taking an abstract view on how to get past problems we face, but it's not a book I could read to my kids. I think they are too young to understand it at this point.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I applaud the author for tackling a hard to explain subject in a picture book, but the awkward rhyme made it difficult to get through. It was a very clumsy first read aloud so I went through page by page with my 8 year old so he had a better understanding of what was going on. The extras at the back of the book are a very nice touch and we enjoyed exploring the website. The boys also enjoyed the pictures.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodread giveaway. This book gave us the positive message how to deal with the problem. It was very challenging to read through this book at first time because of unusual rhyme. Overall it was a very interesting book and we love the pictures very much!