Author: Tonya Bolden
Illustrator: Don Tate
Genre: Picture Book Biography
Target Ages: 4-8
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Year: 2018
What do you do when you get the opportunity to enjoy freedom and make a living for yourself? You work hard! And having enjoyed some success, what do you do when you still want to improve your situation in life? You keep working hard!
Tonya Bolden and Don Tate have produced a wonderful picture book biography in No Small Potatoes, the true story of the journey of Junius G. Groves, from his birth as a slave in Kentucky, to his success in farming that garnered him the title of the "Potato King" of Wyandotte County, Kansas, of the state of Kansas itself, and of the world. Sprinkled throughout the narrative are quotes from Groves himself, including his decision to "work [his] way up to better things," a constant theme of his life. Readers of all ages and ethnicities will enjoy and be inspired by Groves's life. And readers will also find themselves challenged to pursue those good things in life that are within their reach with some hard work. This is an excellent book!
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