FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. When Dorothy's father loses his job and cannot find another, the family borrows a car and sets off for Idaho where jobs digging potatoes can be found. The author was eight years old when she wrote this family story told to her by her aunt. Illustrated by Lisa Ernst.
--This text refers to the
School & Library Binding
edition.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Ages 5^-8. Written by an eight-year-old girl in Kansas, this picture book is just a slice of family history, but the personal account does help make the past accessible for young children. Kate Lied says it is a story about her grandparents, told her by her aunt, and that it is also about the Great Depression and how hard things were. Her grandfather lost his job, and the bank took away the family house. The family found work for two weeks picking potatoes in Idaho. They lived in tents and worked all day, and they were allowed to pick potatoes for themselves at night; but the work lasted only two weeks, and then they went home again, loaded up with potatoes. It's not quite a story, but Ernst's warm pictures on a brown, grainy background have a childlike simplicity. They are framed like photos in an album and may encourage kids to listen to their own family stories and pass them on. Hazel Rochman
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Lied's first book retells a family story that brings home the reality of the Great Depression. The narrator, pictured as a young girl with pigtails writing next to a family photo album, tells the true story of her grandparents, Clarence and Agnes, who were young parents when the Depression first hit. When Clarence lost his job, the family lost their house in Iowa. Clarence and Agnes borrowed a car and drove to Idaho to dig potatoes. By day they worked for the farmer; by night, with his permission, they dug potatoes from the picked-over fields for themselves. The work only lasted two weeks, but they arrived back in Iowa with the car stuffed to the ceiling with spuds, a supply that carried them through to better times. Ernst supplies her trademark illustrations, framed on pages the same shade as brown paper bags, and suggesting snapshots in an album; the spare prose becomes captions to the events unfolding in each scene. This could be a useful opener for encouraging children to explore their own family histories, especially when they learn that the author was eight years old when she wrote down her story for a bookstore writing contest. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful book told by a little girl about her grandparen,
By A Customer
This review is from: Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression (Hardcover)
This is a children's book written by a little girl whose teacher though her essay about her grandparents would make a wonderful book. The book tells the story of a family who during the depression had no work. So they picked potatoes. The owner of the farm told them that any potatoes they picked after hours were theirs to keep. The entire family picked potatoes, loaded them on their ancient car, drove back to their hometown, and supported themselves with their potato cache for the next winter. I will use the book to encourage my children and grandchildren to keep family stories alive.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT BOOK!!!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression (Hardcover)
This is one of the most charming and touching children's literature books I have ever read!!! I would recommend this book to children of all ages including those young at heart!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SWEET STORY THAT COULD BE TOLD BY MUCH OF OUR CURRENT GENERATION....This one brought back memories for me.,
This review is from: Potato: A Tale From The Great Depression (Paperback)
This is a story of pure sweet simplicity. It was actually written by an 8 year old girl who tells the true story (though the eye of a child) of a flash in time during the Great Depression. It is about her grandparents.It is simply told. "Dorothy and per parents lived in Iowa. Clarence and Agnes had not been married long. Clarence list his job and the bank too away their house." Wow! Does this sound familiar? Does this sound relevant? The little girl goes on to tell how a transitory job at a coal mine vanished and how the family end up in Idaho picking potatoes. When the potatoes were picked each day, the farmer let the family harvest all that they wanted during the night. The family did so my moon light and when they left for "back home," there old borrowed car was filled with bags of potatoes. No whistles or bells her folks. No heavy drama. No complaining. No shouting about who was at fault; who was to blame and no agonizing despair. No, there is just simply dignity and the story tells simply how it was and how a family survived. The family just did what they had to do. The art work here is very simply. Soft water colors framed on a light brown page (the same light brown you would find on the old potato sacks) add a sweetness and simplicity to the already whimsical story. This is a wonderful little read for the little ones and lots of lessons can be gleaned from its reading. On a personal note: This little book has been sort of special to me since I first ran across it shortly after it was published. About forty some odd years ago my wife and I lived in Idaho for a couple or three years. While the country at that time was most certainly not in a state of depression, our family most certainly was. "Living in reduced circumstances," through no fault of our own, would be putting it kindly. Our children were quite small at that time. By this time potatoes were not harvested by hand, but were gathered using large machines. These machines would skip about ever sixth or seventh row. A couple of very nice farmers in that wonderful state would let us enter the fields in the evening after the machines had quit, and we were allowed to gather all the potatoes we could dig. I had purchased a couple of very old potato forks for a dollar each at a junk shop. My wife and I and our little ones were able to gather enough potatoes during harvest time to see us though the entire winter. I have always appreciated the kindness of those folks in that state. Anyway, enough nostalgia. This is a good read and it should be added to your child's library. Don Blankenship The Ozarks
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