Roll over image to zoom in
The Pet Potato
£7.00£7.60 (-8%)
Albert is so desperate to get a pet, he’ll take anything – a cat, a dog, giraffe… he’s not fussy, so he’s super excited when Dad finally brings a pet home. There’s just one problem: it’s a potato. Potatoes can’t do anything a proper pet does… can they?!
Branford Boase Award shortlisted Josh Lacey and World Illustration Award shortlisted Momoko Abe bring warmth and humour in perfect measure to this story, perfect for any child who’s desperate for a pet!
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | Andersen Press (2 Mar. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 32 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1839130822 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1839130823 |
| Reading age | 3 – 5 years |
| Dimensions | 24.2 x 0.5 x 28 cm |
by Clare
This is such a sweet and lovely book about a little boy that wants to own a pet really badly. Each birthday he receives gifts that are not what he wants, all her wants is a pet. His father soon comes up with a solution and this is where a potato comes into the story.
I love how cleverly the story unfolds and without giving it away, it is a story that has many lessons for the young reader to both enjoy and learn from at the same time.
I read the book to my daughter and husband and both of them said how much they liked the book and agreed with me that the story is very cleverly written.
The illustrations are also brilliant too.
I received this Advanced Reading Copy directly from the Publishers for review purposes.
by Amazon Customer
I do sometimes wonder about the content of picture books nowadays, and whether it’s really necessary to publish so many. At first this book won me over. A small boy wants a pet but his parents are not keen. Instead, they buy him a potato and entreat him to keep it as a pet. At first repulsed, gradually the boy comes to embrace the idea until eventually his mother decides that keeping a moulding green potato on his pillow is probably not quite what they had in mind, and they bury it. Goodbye pet. As a way to have a happy ending , the potato then sprouts, and soon there are potatoes for everyone. It’s a bit of a crazy ending and a strange message, but there’s something loveable about this book, with its engaging main character and the lumpy potato. I received this as an advance reading copy.
by Winter Mum
My daughter engaged well with this story, especially when the potato got lost. Not a story to read if you can’t have a pet but a nice story for anyone else.
by Whispering Stories
Quite an unusual story about a boy who is given a potato for a pet! At first I thought the moral was going to be about how even if you can’t have a pet (because your parents won’t let you or are allergic), you can use your imagination to make a pet out of anything, even a potato! And you can have great fun in the process too!
But as the story goes on, it takes an unexpected turn as the adored pet potato becomes green and mouldy and has to be buried in the garden! A devastating twist after the cute potato had been bonded with and had been shown smiling whilst wearing an adorable array of hats to suit many different occasions! On the plus side, the buried potato turns into a potato plant and gives new potatoes. It gives a glimpse into how potato gardening works a little.
A bit of a rollercoaster of emotions for young readers and I’m not quite sure what the moral of the story is to be honest, but it’s certainly a unique, slightly quirky story!
Also, anyone else think the main character, the little boy, looks like what Richard Ayoade would have looked like as a child in cartoon form? 🙂
–
With thanks to the publisher for the ARC
by Rosemary Standeven
I loved this book.
Albert wants a pet – and pesters his parents for one continuously. His father gives him a potato as pet. Initially Albert is not impressed, but when he notices that the potato is looking lonely, he decides to cheer it up by including it in all parts of his life, and by doing so has a wonderful time with his new pet.
Often nowadays children seem to have everything planned for them – TV, games, playdates etc – and there seldom seems to be any room for imagination or spontaneous play. This potato pet has both in spades. Albert has to use his imagination all the time to think up new, exciting things for him and the potato to do. Along the way, he proves to his parents that he might be ready to take care of a real pet – but now he only wants the potato. Sadly, the potato goes mouldy – as potatoes tend to do – and his father helps Albert bury him in the garden. So, Albert gets to think about death (or at least that pets will often not live as long as their owner), but he also learns that new life can come from it, and there are good lessons in gardening. Soon everyone has a potato pet courtesy of Albert’s pet tuber.
Highly recommended.
by Lyn Morgan
Little Albert had always wanted a pet but his parents always came up with reasons why he couldn’t have one. For every birthday and Christmas, he only had one wish, he wanted a pet.
One day his dad gave him a potato and told him it was his new pet. At first, Albert wasn’t happy. A potato couldn’t be a pet. But then he came up with lots of ways to play with it.
The Pet Potato is a fun, heart-warming book about a little boy who just wants a pet to love and how because a potato had brought him so much joy that he wanted to share that joy with others.
The story is uplifting and will show children that you can have fun in lots of different ways, I mean who would have thought a potato could make a child so happy?
This is a story that is a little bit unusual but it really works. It is full of emotions and keeps the reader engaged. It is also full of bright, colourful illustrations that are full-page and so adorable.
Overall, The Pet Potato might be a book you look at and think, ‘Really!’ but it does ‘really’ work. I can see this book bringing lots of smiles and might even have the young reader wanting a pet potato of their own.
*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed
by Lyn Morgan
This wonderful story shows a little boy’s commitment to his pet. Albert really wants a pet but his parents aren’t willing to let him have a dog or a cat. His dad gives him a pet potato and he does a great job of looking after his pet until sadly, the potato appears to be going mouldy. Albert and his parents have to bury the potato in the garden and all seems terribly sad, until the potato sprouts leaves and little baby potatoes appear under the soil! A beautiful story of perseverance and commitment.
I was sent this book as a review copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
by niki
Both little ones love this book. It’s a lovely light hearted book about wanting a pet and then finally having a pet (albeit not your usual type) and then it flourishing into a new lease of life. Everyone needs a pet potato.