No Small Potatoes

August 1, 2018
Junius G. Groves, named "Potato King of the World" by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1902, was the richest black man "living between the Missouri River and the Rockies," according to the Indianapolis Recorder.This entertaining biography celebrates an African-American hero born into slavery in the late 1850s in Kentucky who realized his dreams for himself and eventually for his large family. Settling in the Great Kaw Valley, Kansas, Junius began working on a potato farm for 40 cents a day, "almost starvation wages," but he was determined to own a farm one day. First renting their land, Junius and his wife, Matilda, worked hard and saved, buying 80 acres in 1884 and paying off the balance in a year with the help of their three sons. Eventually he bought over 500 acres on which he grew 72,150 bushels--roughly 12 million potatoes--in one year, 1902. With 12 children and lots of hired hands, Junius built Groves Park, the community of Groves Center, a church, a store, and even a golf course. Every few pages, a sidebar punctuates Bolden's chatty, colloquial narrative with words from Groves himself. The mixed-media illustrations, awash in blues, greens, and browns, successfully represent the expansiveness of the land and the momentous nature of Groves' accomplishments. A glossary, a timeline, and other helpful backmatter make this an excellent research resource for teachers and students alike.This a-peel-ing story will give readers a new appreciation for spuds. (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-Bolden has written a delightful picture book biography of Junius G. Groves, who was born into slavery in 1859 but went on to create an agricultural empire that earned him the title "Potato King of the World" in 1902. As part of the mass exodus of African Americans from the South after the Civil War, Groves left Kentucky and settled in Kansas. There he educated himself in the science of agriculture and successfully built a vast potato growing empire that made him one of the richest men in his time. Bolden retells this tale of a life of hard work and lasting influence in a narrative peppered with alliterative, and occasionally rhyming, phrases: "Exodusters journeyed by steamboat, by train, in bumpety-bump oxcarts, in wide-wheeled wagons." Quotes from Groves's diary are set in text boxes throughout the book: "It was several weeks before I could get work on a farm, and when I finally did secure a place, it was at almost starvation wages, 40 cents per day." Tate successfully matches the energy of the text with engaging cartoon artwork, done in mixed media with a palette of sandy browns and bright greens, which thoughtfully depict Groves and his family. VERDICT A charming mix of biography, history, agriculture, math, and lots of potatoes-a great addition to nonfiction collections.-Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018
Grades 1-3 Dynamo book creators come together to tell a long overdue story, the hero of which is introduced through the laid-back text: One Potato. Two Potato. Thirty-Eleven Million Potatoes? Is that how many potatoes Junius George Groves grew? . . . not exactly [but] he sure grew piles and piles of spuds. Born into slavery in Kentucky, Groves headed west following Reconstruction, finding work on a Kansas potato farm and overcoming naysayers to become the Potato King of the World. Along with his crop, he grew a family, a community, and a fortune, becoming one of the most successful African Americans of his time, all of which Tate shows through engaging mixed-media cartoon-style art. Text boxes share direct quotes, allowing Groves to speak in his own voice, and back matter includes source notes and a time line that helps flesh out the history. Far more than a tale of tubers, this is an inspiring account of hard work and a wonderful picture-book biography of a self-made farmer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)