Two Old Potatoes and Me [Paperback]

John Coy (Author), Carolyn Fisher (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 2009 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

One day at her dad’s house, a young girl finds two old potatoes in the cupboard. “Gross.” But before she can throw them away, her dad suggests they try to grow new potatoes from the old ones, which have sprouted eyes. Told from May to September, the potato-growing season, the story includes all the basic steps for growing potatoes while subtly dealing with the parents’ recent divorce. Just like the new potatoes that emerged from ugly old potatoes, this dadand daughter move on and make a new life together in the face of unavoidable and unpleasant change. Carolyn Fisher’s artwork will be instantly recognizable from her recent picture book debut, A Twisted Tale, and her trademark high-energy art and design infuse joy and humor into this heartwarming story.


From the Hardcover Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-While at her father's house, a girl discovers two old potatoes that have begun to sprout in the rear of the cupboard. She throws them away, but he suggests that instead they try to grow new ones from them. The story details how they prepare the soil, weed, water, and protect the plants from potato beetles. In September, their patience and hard work are rewarded with a brimming bucket of new potatoes. Several elements raise this story above the ordinary. First, the idea that something originally destined for the garbage can be turned into so much bounty is an important one for children growing up in our throwaway society. Second, it is refreshing to have a situation in which a divorced father and his daughter have such a comfortable relationship and spend their time together so productively. Third, Fisher's richly detailed, highly stylized color illustrations integrate perfectly with the varying fonts of the text and are a standout. There's lots of food for thought here, along with a recipe for mashed potatoes.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Vroomaloom Zoom:
“The rhythmic, repetitive text and the vibrant pictures against colorful pages make this story a perfect read-aloud.”
–School Library Journal


From the Hardcover Library Binding edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dragonfly Books (January 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440417902
• ISBN-13: 978-0440417903
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.2 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Divorce
  • #54 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The eyes have it, August 26, 2003

By 

Bill McAuliffe (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Old Potatoes and Me (Hardcover)

Personally I prefer my mashed potatoes with garlic and maybe even some herbs and parmesan cheese, and always with the skin on. But that doesn't mean John Coy's "Two Old Potatoes and Me'' doesn't hit the mark.

Coy's simple story is about a father and daughter making a bucket of potatoes out of two rotten ones. But, perfectly matched by Carolyn Fisher's dense and joyous illustrations, it's also about many larger things: the miracle of nature (and sustainability), the challenges of time and patience, the complex intimacies of family, and of course the fact that grandfathers know just about everything.

Given the mashed potato recipe and the strategy for dealing with potato bugs, you might want three copies of this book: one for the kids' shelf, one for the cookbook shelf, and one on the gardening table.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story about making things grow, February 10, 2004

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Two Old Potatoes and Me (Hardcover)

"Two Old Potatoes and Me" is by John Coy, with pictures by Carolyn Fisher. The story is narrated by a young girl who finds two old potatoes with sprouts growing from them. With advice from her grandpa, she and her dad try to grow new potatoes from the old ones.

The rich, colorful pictures have a surreal flavor and an appealing energetic quality. This is a good story about intergenerational cooperation and bonding, and also about hard work and conservation of resources. And as a bonus the book includes a recipe for mashed potatoes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LIFE TAKES ON THE ROTTEN POTATO CHALLENGE . . ., January 2, 2005

By 

mcHaiku "nmi" (Brown County INDIANA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Two Old Potatoes and Me (Hardcover)

There is such satisfaction and delight in John Coy's tale. Daughter and "part-time" dad decide to plant 2 old ("G.R.O.S.S.") potatoes with eyes sprouting like Halloween weirdos. Yet even rotting potatoes help illustrate what Life is all about: work, waiting,wisdom.

During the aftermath of her parents' divorce the girl finds encouragement from nature's growth cycle, the advice of a wise grandpa, a caring father. Her personality is cultivated through lessons from the natural world. Then, following the menace of Potato Bugs, there comes the ultimate reward: that crowning comfort, mashed potatoes!

For a time life's problems take a back seat for the reader, too. We see signs that many parents are working harder than ever to achieve strong relationships with their children, even in today's throwaway society. The story Minnesotan John Coy shares is enhanced by the graphic illustrations of Carolyn Fisher, delightfully crowded on page after page. This book is definitely one to keep . . . we need its optimism.

There are reviews that also rate FIVE STARS: read what Grace Oliff writes for SLJ; also, Bill McAuliffe's "The Eyes Have It."

REVIEWER mcHAIKU claims "ALL LIFE SHOULD HAVE A SPRINKLING OF NUTMEG!"