Book Descriptions
for No Small Potatoes by Tonya Bolden and Don Tate
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Junius Groves was born on a Kentucky plantation shortly before the end of the Civil War. After the war he headed west with other African Americans, settling in Kansas. He went from hired hand to renting land to buying his first 80 acres on which he continued to farm. His crop of choice: potatoes. Eventually he owned over 500 acres. His yields were extraordinary, and newsworthy, earning him the title “Potato King of the World” in 1902. “Junius G.’s spuds—baked, boiled, fried, mashed, puffed, souped, diced for potato salad, sliced thin for chips—filled bellies around America.” A lively account focuses on Groves and his wife Matilda’s hard work and vision. A timeline, glossary, sources, and notes follow an energetic narrative set against upbeat mixed media illustrations. The illustrator’s note acknowledges the Native history of land Groves purchased, once part of the Kaw Nation, and “the Native American history that pervaded the story of Junius Groves.” (Ages 6–9)
CCBC Choices 2019. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2019. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
Discover the incredible true story of how one of history's most successful potato farmers began life as a slave and worked until he was named the "Potato King of the World"!
Junius G. Groves came from humble beginnings in the Bluegrass State. Born in Kentucky into slavery, freedom came when he was still a young man and he intended to make a name for himself. Along with thousands of other African Americans who migrated from the South, Junius walked west and stopped in Kansas. Working for a pittance on a small potato farm was no reason to feel sorry for himself, especially when he's made foreman. But Junius did dream of owning his own farm, so he did the next best thing. He rented the land and worked hard! As he built his empire, he also built a family, and he built them both on tons and tons and tons of potatoes. He never quit working hard, even as the naysayers doubted him, and soon he was declared Potato King of the World and had five hundred acres and a castle to call his own.
From award winning author Tonya Bolden and talented illustrator Don Tate comes a tale of perseverance that reminds us no matter where you begin, as long as you work hard, your creation can never be called small potatoes.
Junius G. Groves came from humble beginnings in the Bluegrass State. Born in Kentucky into slavery, freedom came when he was still a young man and he intended to make a name for himself. Along with thousands of other African Americans who migrated from the South, Junius walked west and stopped in Kansas. Working for a pittance on a small potato farm was no reason to feel sorry for himself, especially when he's made foreman. But Junius did dream of owning his own farm, so he did the next best thing. He rented the land and worked hard! As he built his empire, he also built a family, and he built them both on tons and tons and tons of potatoes. He never quit working hard, even as the naysayers doubted him, and soon he was declared Potato King of the World and had five hundred acres and a castle to call his own.
From award winning author Tonya Bolden and talented illustrator Don Tate comes a tale of perseverance that reminds us no matter where you begin, as long as you work hard, your creation can never be called small potatoes.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
