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Brave Potatoes
Cheer for the brave potatoes in this tounge-twisting tale as they fight for the freedom of vegetables everywhere from Chef Hackemup.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 22, 2000
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Toby Speed
17 books5 followersI'm the author of children's books, mysteries and other fun word formations. DEATH OVER EASY, my first murder mystery, is out in October 2013 from Five Star, and I am working on book #2 in the series.
My short story, "At the Corner of Night and Nowhere," is included in an anthology called MOON SHOT: MURDER AND MAYHEM ON THE EDGE OF SPACE, forthcoming from Untreed Reads. I also write poetry. I will be featured on The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly (poemsoncrime.blogspot.com) the week of 11/4/13 and have some poems soon in LIGHT magazine.
I live on Long Island, NY, but am moving soon to New England with my husband and office assistant, Kashi the Cat. And I have three fabulous daughters.
I need to get some books on my shelves!
My short story, "At the Corner of Night and Nowhere," is included in an anthology called MOON SHOT: MURDER AND MAYHEM ON THE EDGE OF SPACE, forthcoming from Untreed Reads. I also write poetry. I will be featured on The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly (poemsoncrime.blogspot.com) the week of 11/4/13 and have some poems soon in LIGHT magazine.
I live on Long Island, NY, but am moving soon to New England with my husband and office assistant, Kashi the Cat. And I have three fabulous daughters.
I need to get some books on my shelves!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 10, 2008
This book has some funny potato puns, but the strange style of writing is detracting. I'm not sure why the the author, or the editor for that matter, allowed the strange erratic form. There is some rhyme, but a lot that is prose and prose and verse mixed together with no apparent meter. The story gets lost in the chaos and confusion of the words.
August 14, 2018
What a wonderful and engaging story? I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
August 16, 2012
A group of state fair potatoes have been kidnapped by Chef Hackemup and they make a brave getaway. The prose in this story is quite awesomely fun and delightful. I do admit I am biased because potatoes are my favorite, but I'm on the side of the chef, since I prefer them cooked to walking about the state fair grounds! My favorite line is the play on Shakespeare:
"Have you heard the story yet
of Idaho and Juliet?
A spud by any other name
is still a spud, and tastes the same."
That's priceless!
"Have you heard the story yet
of Idaho and Juliet?
A spud by any other name
is still a spud, and tastes the same."
That's priceless!
February 13, 2013
Operatic. The line readings here are often as unpredictable as the potatoes - spilling impulsively off of their shelves at the county fair for a late night ride at the amusement park - as though their creators had only the vaguest of notions on how to proceed within the outlines, which also include a megalomaniacal crosstown chef named Hackemup whom none of the other vegetables - complacent cabbages, terrified turnips - apparently have it in them to overthrow. The end looks a little shocking, and then it doesn't. An ode to the underrated. We always knew they had it in them.
October 20, 2008
Brave Potatoes is one of my favorite read-aloud books. The brave potatoes rescue a kitchenful of vegetables from a murderous chef. They prevail because they don't understand or accept the fact that vegetables are meant for the knife and the soup pot. You see, "potatoes have no ears." The sweet silliness of potatoes as heroes is delicious. Plus, I am a total sucker for state fairs.
June 7, 2008
Such a fun book to read aloud. I drive my kids carzy reading it.
August 31, 2017
I loved this book as a kid! I can recommend it to any young child, especially if they enjoy potatoes like I did :D
December 10, 2019
The creative writing and comical subject make this one of our favorite children's books.
January 15, 2020
Funny puns, but the rhyming text didn't work for us.
August 27, 2024
Hmmmmm… some powerful illustrations from Barry Root. I wonder whether children enjoy this story?
March 23, 2025
One of my favorite books ever. Typical fox and hunter story but there's something wonderful about the ordinariness of the potatoes and their taking of revenge. I am in their corner cheering them on.
April 1, 2016
Brave Potatoes by Toby Speed has a very creative story line and setting. It's pretty odd to have potatoes running around and having minds of their own. The potatoes team up together and fight against the murderous chef who wants the potatoes in his soup. The way they team up together is by having an aviators form up and knock the chef right into the soup and helps other vegetables escape. At the end of the story they come to conclusion and revolt against the murder of vegetables.
What really stood out to me is the illustrations and the rhyming of the text. They text went well with the illustrations. I feel like the illustrations have a dark red setting, which I think made the story seem more suspenseful. I kept wondering if the potatoes were go to be chopped up and be made with the soup if the chef caught them. I also pitied the potatoes because they wanted to live a joyous life and experience what they haven't before, until the chef saw the potatoes. Gladly, it stood out to me that, if you work together collectively, you can accomplished something greater.
What really stood out to me is the illustrations and the rhyming of the text. They text went well with the illustrations. I feel like the illustrations have a dark red setting, which I think made the story seem more suspenseful. I kept wondering if the potatoes were go to be chopped up and be made with the soup if the chef caught them. I also pitied the potatoes because they wanted to live a joyous life and experience what they haven't before, until the chef saw the potatoes. Gladly, it stood out to me that, if you work together collectively, you can accomplished something greater.
February 23, 2012
The fair's prize-winning spuds escape from the barn one night and go out to enjoy the rides. Meanwhile, in a kitchen, a chef is lamenting his potato-less kitchen. He has every other ingredient he needs to make his soup. But spuds? None. He suddenly spies the potatoes enjoying the Ferris wheel at the fair. He grabs a bag and heads on over. The evil chef tricks the potatoes into his bag and back to his kitchen he heads.
In the kitchen, the prize-winning potatoes become brave potatoes by doing acrobatics and pushing the chef into his own soup and escaping the kitchen taking all of the other captive vegetables with them.
In the kitchen, the prize-winning potatoes become brave potatoes by doing acrobatics and pushing the chef into his own soup and escaping the kitchen taking all of the other captive vegetables with them.
June 23, 2014
In this book it talks about how the potatoes where being free and brave. Util the cook took them and started to cook them, but at the end of the story the potatoes where being brave and stand up to the cook.
This book is for a third graders and is a really awesome book, and I recommend this book to 3rd graders. I like this book because it talk about potatoes, and how the potatoes stood up for them self.
This book is for a third graders and is a really awesome book, and I recommend this book to 3rd graders. I like this book because it talk about potatoes, and how the potatoes stood up for them self.
June 24, 2014
Late at night at the country fair, all the prize potatoes sneak out to ride the Zip. But when they are spotted by Hackemup the Chief, their fate lies in the balance. Because he's got green and yellow peppers. He's got royal rutabagas. Even ruby red tomatoes. But he hasn't got potatoes. Off goes Hackemup with a bag to pack them up. But the potatoes managed to run away from his kitchen with the rest of the vegetables.
July 2, 2014
i read that thier was a batch of potatoes that left the room and went to go ride the rides while everyone had left home so the chef had seen the potatos and went after them and caught them and put them in a bag . then he lined up all the potatoes and told them " now the end is near !! " the potatoes got into a big group and pushed the chef into the soup and ran away . so they were known as the brave potatoes .
April 9, 2010
Hackemup, the chef needs potatoes for his hearty chowder. When he sees them riding the rides at the fair, he sets off to bag a few. But, the Brave Potatoes have other ideas, and Hackemup, the chef has a change of heart and careers!
Used for "It's Green and Leafy: Not Trees...Vegetables!" storytime-April, 2010.
Used for "It's Green and Leafy: Not Trees...Vegetables!" storytime-April, 2010.
June 24, 2014
Brave Potatoes, written by Toby Speed, is a story about how potatoes manage to defeat the chef and avoid getting cooked. The brave potatoes save themselves and the other vegetables from becoming lunch.
This book is great for kids because it has a very unrealistic story that can persuade kids to always have a big imagination.
This book is great for kids because it has a very unrealistic story that can persuade kids to always have a big imagination.
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July 3, 2014i think the story fits the title because the potatoes really are brave they were brave enough to leave group fair. potatoes have been kidnapped by Chef Hackemup and they make a brave getaway. The prose in this story is quite awesomely fun and delightful. I do admit I am biased because potatoes are my favorite but I'm on the side of t
July 10, 2014
it was about some potatoes wakeing up in the night and going to the fair and haveing fun in the zip but the guy was cooking but nothing came out good he know he was missing something and he said he needed potatoes and he seen some at the fair and he went to go them and took them back so he could cook them but the potatoes dint let there selfs and they got away
November 22, 2013
Umm..this was a rhyming picture book, but I just didn't find that it was that captivating.
I read it aloud to a first grader. It was easier for us to use the pictures as a guide to tell the story.
The prose/poetry in the writing was difficult to read aloud.
I read it aloud to a first grader. It was easier for us to use the pictures as a guide to tell the story.
The prose/poetry in the writing was difficult to read aloud.
May 12, 2014
A silly story that plays on puns and reads like it could be sung; a rhyming story about spuds and their wild adventures at the county fair; a book of what happens after dark, and a good bedtime story for young ones who like something a little silly. A good read for a few laughs.
January 21, 2016
A unique rhyming story about brave potatoes (what else?) that lead the vegetables to revolt against the chef so they all don't end up in the soup (literally). Lots of food puns.
Great illustrations.
Great illustrations.
October 2, 2007
Revolutionarily!!!
November 20, 2008
This book is hilarious. I have to buy it for my kids! It's always nice when their random way of choosing books from the library results in a winner.
March 10, 2009
Great. These heroic potatoes have given my kids have yet another excuse not to eat their vegetables... Beyond that, this is a fun story about potatoes who go up against an evil chef.
September 29, 2014
I just love this book. It's so much fun to read aloud, and I love lines like 'potatoes never listen, potatoes have no ears'. Great rhyming rhythm.
October 6, 2012
October 2012
July 29, 2016
More gourmet than your standard picture book. Casual picture book readers might miss the brilliance of this author.
June 25, 2013
"We will never be frittata.
We will always be potatoes."
What do prizewinning potatoes do in the middle of the night at the county fair? They wipe the sleep from their eyes and go ride the rides.
We will always be potatoes."
What do prizewinning potatoes do in the middle of the night at the county fair? They wipe the sleep from their eyes and go ride the rides.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews