AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
This is a book which completely and wonderfully transports reader and listener into the world of its story, surrounding us not only with the earthy and bright colors and textures of its mixed media artwork, but equally with the wonder of the process of creating new life through growing potatoes and with its description of a dad lovingly fathering his daughter post-divorce. As the story opens, a young girl relates how she was about to throw away some old potatoes at her dad's house in the spring. But her dad recognized their potential, and the two decide to try growing new potatoes. The girl describes the process from planting in May to harvesting in September, her words drawn right into lush paint and crayon collages of earth, leaves, and herself and her dad working side by side. This is an exceptional work in both text and illustration, and especially in its demonstration that life for children after divorce will go on and can be wonderful again. 3 and 4 year olds will enjoy discovering and poring over each fully alive page and will probably want to try growing something themselves afterward.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
Read this story aloud toward the beginning of a two to three-month preschool storytime session, and have the children help plant and tend to something relatively easy to grow in individual cups, such as lima bean plants.
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