No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas
by Tonya Bolden (Author) Don Tate (Illustrator)
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.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
School Library Journal
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.Review quotes
JNF007020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Historical
JNF025170 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/General
United States
Slaves
Kansas
African American farmers
Potato growers
Groves, Junius G.
Edwardsville (Kan.)
