The Potato King
One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, four! This book depicts a legend that young readers will adore. Using creative potato print illustrations, the book tells the story of how King Fritz (also known as Frederick the Great, King of Prussia) used reverse psychology to help the potato become an accepted and desired crop among the citizens in his village. Readers can follow the tale of King Fritz as he introduces this strange new crop, faces resistance, and problem solves his way to success. The back of the book also includes a brief history of the potato for readers looking for additional details. Choose this book to learn entertaining and interesting facts about this super-duper tuber.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Get the creative juices flowing by creating some potato stamps to share with children. To create a stamp, cut a potato in half, and then carve a shape, number, or letter into the bottom. By cutting the potato stamps into key shapes from the story, children can make a print of their favorite part of the book. Adults can support children by adding text to accompany the picture. A fun activity is to have a potato taste test! Taste several variations of the potato (baked, fried, mashed, boiled), ask children which is their favorite, and graph the results.
Adults may find it helpful to preview this book before reading it to children to become familiar with the legend and think about how they would like to describe some of the vocabulary used in the story. When hearing the story for the first time, children may question some phrases that challenge their understanding, such as “to boot,” “go easy,” “myth,” or “grave.” It also might be useful for adults to talk about how the king in the story had to think of an idea or trick to solve his problem. Adults might enjoy the opportunity to talk about this book together and share reactions. Were they aware of this legend? Have they heard similar or different versions? Another fun idea is to invite adults to bring in a favorite potato recipe to share!