The Potato King

by Christoph Niemann (Illustrator)

Overview

Once upon a time there was a Prussian King, Frederick, also known as Fritz, who saw potential in the lowly potato — a newly introduced crop from South America — and decided to plant it for his people. However, it quickly became clear that his subjects didn’t like being told what to eat. Determined to see the potato thrive, Fritz cleverly used reverse psychology to pique his people’s curiosity and make the crop popular, and the potato has flourished ever since. Potato-stamp illustrations throughout are simple and effective, exhibiting Niemann’s trademark wit and playfulness. The book includes a short informational note on the historical background to the story. Readers will be interested to discover how one of today’s most common foods likely rose to popularity and may also be inspired by the king’s creative problem solving.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771474252
Publisher:	OWLKIDS BOOKS
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Christoph Niemann is an award-winning and prolific illustrator, artist and author. He creates the “Abstract Sunday” column in the New York Times Magazine (formerly known as “Abstract City” on the NYT blog) and has done work for Wired, TIME, Google, Amtrak and the Museum of Modern Art. He lives in Berlin, Germany, with his wife.

Editorial Reviews

It's a perfectly constructed legend…Niemann tells the tale with wonderful economy and, of course, delightful potato-print art.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 02/16/2015
King Frederick of Prussia’s legendary attempts to urge his subjects to eat potatoes might be apocryphal, but Niemann’s (That’s How!) smart retelling, adapted from a 2012 installment of his visual column in the New York Times, offers a bushel of laughs. What better medium could be imagined for the tale than potato prints? “Hear, hear,” a red potato-printed King Fritz announces to his subjects, printed in blue. “I give you the potato. It costs little to grow and is healthy to boot!” He stands on a potato to make his proclamation—a photograph of a potato, that is, startlingly lifelike and three-dimensional when set against the clean, white page. His subjects are unimpressed. One chucks a potato at him, its trajectory traced in potato-printed dashes. Then the king has an idea. He forbids access to his potato field, guarding it with dozens of soldiers. Sure enough, thieves break in (“If a vegetable has to be so closely guarded, there must be something special about it”), and everyone is soon growing and eating potatoes. The retelling sparkles, and a medium that might have hampered Niemann instead spurs his creativity. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A Junior Library Guild selection, 2015

A Kirkus Best of 2015 Selection

A Huffington Post's Best Picture Book Of 2015

Pennsylvania Center for the Book's A Baker's Dozen: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy selection

"...utterly delightful... It would be great for a story-telling program, as well as a creative jump-start for a potato-print craft program for older readers...belongs in every collection."
– School Library Journal

"A bushel of laughs."
– Publisher's Weekly STARRED REVIEW

"This German import is both entertaining and informative."
—Booklist

"Kids will enjoy the charm of Niemann's story, charmingly illustrated with potato prints."
—School Library Journal

"Niemann tells the tale with wonderful economy and, of course, delightful potato-print art."
–The New York Times

"This deceptively simple and terrifically entertaining book is unlike any other book you've seen this year."
–The National Post

"Utterly delightful...belongs in every collection."
—School Library Journal

"The retelling sparkles."
–Publishers Weekly- Starred Review

"Witty and provocative, the tale provides food for thought in behavior management and governance as well as a great story."
—Kirkus Reviews- Starred Review

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
K-Gr 2—An utterly delightful telling of how Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, introduced the potato to his subjects in the 1700s. Fanciful potato prints illustrate King Fritz who had the idea, the soldiers pretending to guard the strange new plants, and the villagers whose curiosity was so aroused by such security that they stole the food they had at first rejected—just as the monarch planned. The characters in this saga—king, villagers, soldiers, horses, plants—are green, blue, red, potato print silhouettes, and each page features the star of the story, a full-color photograph of a potato. Although this is admittedly an unusual choice for a picture book, it would be great for a storytelling program, as well as a creative jump-start for a potato-print craft program for older readers. VERDICT This story of the acceptance of the South American staple and the beginning of its rise to the fourth-largest food crop in the world belongs in most collections.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA

School Library Journal

★ 2015-02-03
This German import recounts the intriguing legend surrounding Frederick the Great's potato legislation.In the versatile vegetable recently transported from South America, Fritz (as he is familiarly called here) sees a weapon to prevent famine in Prussia. He decrees that everyone should plant this crop; his citizens are not convinced. Niemann's decision to utilize potato prints and photographs of the tuber against a clean white background makes this account a beautifully unified narrative accessible to a range of ages. The thoughtful design extends to the palette of both image and type—the king's words and silhouette are both rendered in red, for instance. Controlled pacing builds suspense. A wordless, crowded spread of textured, blue soldiers and cannons contrasts with the previously spare compositions during which listeners learn, "He ordered his solders to march to the village…." To do what? Force-feed villagers? Imprison abstainers? No, rather, this clever king tries reverse psychology: "…and guard the potato field." Since the forbidden is irresistible, naturally the people creep in at night to steal the royal plants for their own fields. This understated, visually delightful tale of how a humble vegetable found its way into the hearts and kitchens of a community will surely entertain young readers and move them to printmaking. Witty and provocative, the tale provides food for thought in behavior management and governance as well as a great story. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews