Parents' Guide to

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

By Jan Carr, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Raucous fun imagining origin story for popular kids' game.

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 8+

Emphasis on warriors, fighting, and victory

The characters are all "warriors" and the entire story is nothing but fighting. As a parent, I don't want to glorify fighting or aggression in any context. Furthermore, this story is cute and clever from an adult's perspective but the concept is entirely lost on young children. Why would someone be seeking out a fight? And why would they hope to lose the battle? That is a bit too complex for young children to understand and I think the aggressive nature of the characters is what comes through most.

This title has:

Too much violence

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

There's lots of rollicking good fun in this book that imagines the origin of the kids' game rock, paper, scissors as a classic legend, complete with warriors, kingdoms, and epic battles. The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors is filled with serious silliness. Paper battles a printer and wins by causing a paper jam. Scissors challenges a tape dispenser by saying, "Let us do battle, you tacky and vaguely round monstrosity," while the tape dispenser vows to use his "adhesive and tangling powers."

The human-like warriors are fiercely funny, and the raging battles are announced in all caps, as if shouted from the ring: "ROCK VERSUS APRICOT! PAPER VERSUS HALF-EATEN BAG OF TRAIL MIX!" There’s also some giggle-inducing underwear and butt humor. So who's funnier and more clever, author Drew Daywalt or illustrator Adam Rex? That battle may be a very happy draw.

Book Details

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