The Enormous Potato
A farmer plants a little potato eye and as the potato grows, the tale expands along with it. Words and drawings multiply on each page as the farmer first calls his wife, then his daughter, the dog, the cat and finally, a mouse, to help him pull the ungainly potato out of the ground. When the enormous potato is finally consumed by the townspeople, the story is finished and a subtle lesson is learned: If everyone works together, a problem can be solved.
Yugoslavian artist Dusan Petrii depicts the spirited humorous characters in bright bold colors set off by a warm yellow watercolor wash on each page. The Bruegel-like illustrations of the villagers who arrive to eat the potato are delightful. Petrii, who has won many Yugoslavian and European awards for his more than 20 children’s books, now lives and works in Toronto.
The repetition and the rhythm of the text and illustrations make the book an excellent choice for early readers or as a read-aloud.
Reviewed by
Shirley Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
