A small mouse named Chopsticks who lives on a floating restaurant in China becomes friends with a carved wooden dragon who wants to fly, and on the night of the full moon, during Chinese New Year, they share a high-flying adventure with the help of Old Fu, the dragon's creator. - (Baker & Taylor)

A small mouse named Chopsticks who lives on a floating restaurant in China becomes friends with a carved wooden dragon who wants to fly. - (Baker & Taylor)

In a busy harbor, in the faraway island of Hong Kong, there is a floating restaurant. This restaurant is home to Chopsticks, a tiny gray mouse. Chopsticks befriends a wooden dragon who wants to fly. On the night of the full moon, during Chinese New Year, they share a high-flying adventure with the help of Old Fu, the dragon’s creator. - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

Gr. 2-4. Chopsticks, a small gray mouse, lives in a Hong Kong restaurant in the shadow of two enormous, carved wooden dragons. One dragon longs to see the world and asks Chopsticks to consult Fu, the old carver, whose magic frees the dragon. Together, the friends travel the world at every full moon. Large, lush paintings depict an appealing, nonthreatening dragon, richly evoked Hong Kong landscapes, and dreamlike evening travels. Like James Daugherty's Andy and the Lion (1989), Chopsticks demonstrates the symbiotic benefits of cooperation in a charming story with an Asian flavor. ((Reviewed December 1, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

A wooden dragon outside a Hong Kong restaurant wishes to fly. Chopsticks the restaurant mouse visits Old Fu the carver, who gives him a whistle to play during the next full moon. Sure enough, the mouse and the dragon "flew over lands that you and I only dream of." The overwritten story falls flat, but the fanciful illustrations are rich with color. Copyright 2006 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Berkeley offers a mildly entertaining story of the friendship between a mouse and his dragon. The dragon in question is a wooden one that twines around the pillar outside a floating restaurant in Hong Kong; the mouse, named Chopsticks, lives in the restaurant and one night hears the dragon speak. The dragon wants to fly and sends the mouse to Old Fu, the man who carved the dragon and who knows the secret of setting him free. The mouse learns a tune on a whistle, plays it the night of the full moon and lo, the dragon and mouse fly off to explore their world. Readers will see glimpses of the Great Wall and the Taj Mahal from a dragon's eye view. They return to the restaurant, to explore again every full moon, and Chopsticks recounts their adventures to Old Fu each time. The illustrations, while bright, have a curiously dry and flat appearance, and the story doesn't quite come into its power or imagery. Still, a dragon's a dragon, and wee dragon aficionados probably can't get enough. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus 2005 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 3 -In Hong Kong, there is a floating restaurant that a mouse calls home. One New Year's night, after it has closed, a wooden dragon that is coiled around one of the large pillars in the entrance tells him of his wish to fly, but that only Old Fu, the carver, knows how to bring him to life. Chopsticks goes to the elderly man to learn his secret and returns to release the dragon. They fly into the night sky, and continue to do so every time the moon is full. The text is somewhat trite compared to the fabulous artwork. The vividly painted pictures appear to be acrylic based and provide colorful and enchanting backdrops for the story. The scenes are so intriguing that they will have readers lingering on each page to enjoy the details.-Amanda Conover Le, St. Johns County Public Library System, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL