Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament - Hardcover

Renaud, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1771386193 ISBN 13: 9781771386197

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2017

Synopsis

When Filbert P. Horsefeathers walks into George Crum's restaurant, he tells the waitress, ?I have a hankering for a heaping helping of potatoes.? Fine cook that he is, George prepares a serving of his most scrumptious, succulent and sublime potato wedges, only to have Filbert send them back. ?Too thick,? he says. So, George makes thinner wedges. But his picky customer sends them back again. And again. Feeling a bit mischievous, George decides to use his sharpest knife to cut paper-thin potato slices, which he fries until they are crackling and then showers with salt. At last, Filbert is satisfied, proclaiming, ?Perfection!? Which they are. Because, quite by accident, George Crum has invented potato chips!

This fictional picture book tale by Anne Renaud is based on a real man named George Crum, a cook in Saratoga Springs, New York, in the 1850s, who is purported to have created the first potato chip in response to a demanding customer. Included at the back of the book is a historical note with a list of sources describing the legend and the remarkable and inspiring story of Crum, a trapper of mixed Native American and African American descent, who supplied restaurants with fresh game, then became a chef and successful restauranteur himself. Felicita Sala's gorgeous illustrations accurately portray the historical period but with a lighthearted touch. They work beautifully with Renaud's playful language and quirky characters for a lively and deliciously fun read-aloud. This book is an excellent choice for lessons on inventions and inventors, history, or why we eat the foods we do.

About this title

About the Author:

Anne Renaud is the author of over a dozen books for children, including Missuk's Snow Geese. Anne lives in Westmount, Quebec.

Felicita is a self-taught illustrator. She studied philosophy and languages in Australia, but then decided she wanted to create pictures. Since moving to Italy, she has worked on a few stop-motion animation projects along with her husband, Gianluca, but her passion lies in making picture books. She gets inspired by nature, children, mid-century illustration, folk art and architecture. She lives in Rome with Gianluca and their daughter, Nina.

From School Library Journal:

K-Gr 3—In the mid-1800s, a gregarious gastronome named George Crum cooked for the people who visited Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, NY. One day a particularly picky, punctilious customer requested a plateful of potatoes. Again and again, the customer, Mr. Filbert P. Horsefeathers, returned the potatoes to the kitchen, each time asking for thinner, tastier potatoes. In a final, exasperated effort, Crum sliced them as thinly as possible, fried them to a crisp, and then sprinkled them with an abundance of salt. What began as a joke ended with a food product still hugely popular today—potato chips. The narrative, loosely based on the real story, is stuffed with meaty morsels of juicy, often alliterative big words like scrumptious, sublime, and succulent. The story begs to be read aloud so that listeners can savor the sound of the luscious language while picking up some very sophisticated, multisyllabic words. It could also be a good opportunity for children to conduct a readers' theater rendition—with plenty of practice. While Mr. Horsefeathers comes across as a somewhat exaggerated figure for comedic effect, the notes and photographs at the book's end relate the real story behind Crum's legacy. The illustrations, done in watercolor and colored pencil, vividly convey the people and dress of the era. VERDICT This title has a lot of potential for classroom use for literacy development (prosody, vocabulary), reading aloud, and any study of food. Just say "potato chips" and students will be clamoring to read.—Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

About this edition

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1771386193
• ISBN 13: 9781771386197
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Sala Felicita