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Review by Renny Fong

About the author:

Kyo Maclear is a self-professed spork – her father is British and her mother is Japanese. She was born in England, but moved to Canada at a young age, following a brief stint as an actor in The King and I in London’s West End. Kyo now resides in Toronto where she shares a home with two children, two cats, a musician and a lot of books.

Spork, the story of a mixed kitchen utensil and Kyo’s debut book for children, was originally conceived with her husband to celebrate the birth of their first child. Prior to writing Spork, Kyo’s publishing path included magazine essays, art reviews and fiction. Her debut novel, The Letter Opener, was a finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and winner of the 2009 K.M. Hunter Artist Award in Literature.

Kyo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and Art History from the University of Toronto, followed by a Masters in Cultural Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She is currently completing her second novel, another children’s story and has dreams of starting a jug band made entirely of misfit kitchenware.

About the illustrator:

Isabelle Arsenault won the Governor General’s Award for Illustration in 2004. My Letter to the World and Other Poems is the first book she has illustrated for an English-language publisher. Her illustration clients include Readers Digest, the Boston Globe and the Wall Street Journal. Isabelle lives in Montreal, Quebec.

About the book:

His mum is a spoon. His dad is a fork. And he’s a bit of both. He’s Spork! Spork sticks out in the regimented world of the cutlery drawer. The spoons think he’s too pointy, while the forks find him too round. He never gets chosen to be at the table at mealtimes until one day a very messy thing arrives in the kitchen who has never heard of cutlery customs. Will Spork finally find his place at the table? This “multi-cutlery” tale is a humorous and lively commentary on individuality and tolerance. Its high-spirited illustrations capture the experience and emotions of anyone who has ever wondered about their place in the world.

My take on the book:

His mom is a spoon, his dad a fork.  Spork has a hard time fitting in amongst the cutlery.  This whimsically written tale by Kyo Maclear (who is a self-professed spork), with its cool retro-feel illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault, takes us on a journey of self-reflection, self-worth, and self-acceptance.  It’s about feeling left out and trying to fit in.  Both children and adults can identify wit