The Enormous Potato

by Aubrey Davis, Duyan Petricic (Illustrator)

Overview

Folk tales give us hope. They show us that we can succeed in spite of apparent problems. And they entertain. Perhaps this accounts for their universal appeal and their amazing ability to survive. “The Enormous Potato” is one such story that has been around for generations. Retold by professional storyteller Aubrey Davis, it shows what can be accomplished when everyone lends a hand to solve a problem.The Enormous Potato begins with a farmer who plants an eye — a potato eye. It grows and grows into an enormous potato. Harvest time comes, but the potato is so big that the farmer can't pull it out. So he calls for help, first to his wife, then to their daughter, then to the dog and so on. Energetic illustrations capture the growing determination of the family to free the potato from the soil and the celebratory feast that follows their success.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781550746693
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	01/28/1997
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	118,082
Product dimensions:	9.05(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.25(d)
Lexile:	AD280L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

For more than 30 years, Aubrey Davis has told stories, performing and conducting workshops across Canada and the United States. His books have received glowing reviews and multiple awards, including the Sydney Taylor Award, the Mr. Christie Award (Silver) and the Canadian Jewish Book Awards Children's Literature Prize. Aubrey lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Dušan Petričić is the award-winning illustrator of more than twenty books for children. His books include In the Tree House, The Enormous Potato, Bagels from Benny and Lickety-Split. He currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

A real feast for both the eye and the ear, this is a well-honed tale sure to be a storyteller's favorite.—Calgary Herald

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 1-A sunny retelling of Tolstoy's The Great Big Enormous Turnip in which the characters work together and share the rewards of their labor. A plump, pigeon-toed farmer plants a potato eye that grows into "the biggest potato in the world." Unable to uproot it himself, he calls for his wife's assistance. The stubborn spud remains firmly planted, even after his daughter, dog, and cat are recruited. It is only with the small mouse's one-handed contribution to the group effort that the vegetable is finally ripped from the ground. The family shares its harvest with the jubilant townspeople until the potato, like the story, is gone. With cheerful golden yellow backdrops, the humorous watercolor-and-pencil illustrations reveal the chubby characters grimacing as they struggle to free the fleshy root from the muddy ground and their pleasure in consuming it. An entertaining example of teamwork and cooperation, this simply told tale would work as a read-aloud and, with its short sentences, repetition, and large print, as an easy-reader.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

A real feast for both the eye and the ear, this is a well-honed tale sure to be a storyteller’s favorite.

Calgary Herald