Parents' Guide to

The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon

By Dawn Friedman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Tableware goes bad in sumptuously drawn tale.

Book Mini Grey, Ruth Belov Gross Picture Book 2006
The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon Poster Image

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What's the Story?

The Dish runs away with the Spoon and lives the high life until debt brings them crashing down.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Parents who expect something in line with the original nursery rhyme will be surprised. This is more Mother Goose meets Law & Order, albeit a G-rated version.

Though the villainous slant will turn off some parents, many will enjoy it for the sumptuous and amusing illustrations. There's a lot to explore on every page spread; if kids keep their eyes open, they can catch cameos from other "Hey Diddle Diddle" cohorts. It's interesting to note the way money is treated in the pictures -- from the overflowing edges when Dish and Spoon are living the high life to the scattered broken remains when they bottom out at the mercy of the loan sharks.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the actual nursery rhyme first so kids know the roots of this fast-paced adventure. They can also talk about where Dish and Spoon made their mistakes. How many opportunities did they have to make different choices? What could they have done instead?

Book Details

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