The Potato Man

Written by Megan McDonald • Illustrated by Ted Lewin

Reviewed by Ethan A. (age 7) and Yuki F. (age 8)

A grandpa was telling a story to his grandsons about something that happened to him and his friend when they were young. The grandpa and his friend, Otto, were playing a game and the Potato Man came (but his real name was Mr. Angelo.) He was called the Potato Man because his face looked like a potato and he also sold potatoes and fruits and vegetables.

Grandpa and his sisters got scared because of the Potato Man's one eye. The grandfather was supposed to buy bananas for his family but he didn't because he was frightened by the look of the Potato Man's face. Since the Potato Man seemed to look funny, the grandpa and his friend started to be mean to him. The grandfather and Otto changed their attitude about being mean at the end of the book. We thought that the Potato Man was bad but he wasn't. You shouldn't be mean to a person or they'll probably just get you back.

This story has a lesson. We learned that you should not judge a person by their looks. We recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about what it's like to be diffferent. The language had a kind of accent and it always left out the "g" at the end of the word if there was supposed to be a "g."

The illustrations have watercolors and the pictures connect to the words.

This book is perfect for people who change their attitude when they get in trouble.

Ethan A. and Yuki F. are students in Mrs. Mayer's 2nd Grade Class