The Potato King - Christoph Niemann (2015)

ISBN 10 : 1 77147 139 5
ISBN 13 : 978 1 77147 139 8
(Hardcover)

     Do you hate potatoes? Well, obviously, I can assume your answer to be 'no'. But, down in mythology, a king had to introduce this crop to his subjects, with all possible tactics.   

A Carb Story

             King Fritz gets to know about a new crop (potato) and plants them in a field. Also, he asks the villagers nearby the field, to grow it in their gardens. But the villagers don't like to be told, what to do. After brainstorming, the king has an idea. He sends a troop of soldiers, to the potato field to guard it. 

             The heavy protection makes the villagers to think that the potato is a valuable crop. The soldiers loosen their guard at night, as per king's instructions. The rest is how the villagers get their hand on this valuable 'guarded' crop, which is now the fourth largest food crop on Earth.

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Published By : Owlkids Inc.

Number of Pages :  32

Classification : Myth

Age : Preschooler, Kindergartener, Grades 1- 3

    (Note : This book is based on the author's work in his visual column "Abstract Sunday" in the "New York Times" magazine.)

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My Comment: 

          Boiled or fried, my kids (almost any kid) love potatoes. The same goes with this book. They read, asked me to read and enjoyed this book. With a mythological story behind, this book is a right mixture of brilliance and whimsy.

          The psychology trick, on which the story is based, itself is clever. And, the story is linear and simple, which makes the understanding of this trick, easier to kids. The narration is perfect and light hearted (Actually, I enjoyed it reading again and again with my kids).

          Here comes our most beloved part, the illustrations. It is absolutely genius to use only potatoes (and some colorful inks), to craft a book about potatoes. The ink stamps made by the potatoes and photographs of potatoes brings a totally new flavor, oops.., shade to this book. (We also checked this story in the visual column of the author, which is another delightful read.)

          As my kids remember this story now, every time they eat potato, I should say that this book has given them fun, some history and a wonderful experience.

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