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The Pet Potato

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Jory John meets Sophie's Squash in this delightful, offbeat, and hilarious picture book, The Pet Potato, about finding companionship in unlikely places.

Potatoes can't do anything a pet should. They can't learn tricks, or go for walks, or snuggle up with Albert.

But to Albert's surprise, his potato begins to grow on him, and soon he can't imagine having any other pet.

When the potato begins to rot, Albert is devastated. He buries it in his garden, and with a lot of care and a bit of patience, he discovers that his potato can do a great trick after all . . .

Josh Lacey and Momoko Abe have created a delightful, offbeat picture book about finding companionship in unlikely places.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 21, 2021

119 people want to read

About the author

Josh Lacey

60 books11 followers
Josh Lacey is a British writer born and raised in London. Josh worked as a journalist, a teacher and a screenwriter before writing his first book, A Dog Called Grk. He has written several other children’s books including The Dragonsitter, Island of Thieves, and The Pet Potato. He also wrote the adult book God is Brazilian, a biography of Charles Miller. He also writes under the name Joshua Doder.

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5 stars
127 (37%)
4 stars
148 (43%)
3 stars
59 (17%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
Profile Image for Laura.
1,523 reviews254 followers
August 16, 2022

Now I want a pet potato!

All Albert wants is a pet. A cat, dog, hamster, or turtle. Any pet will do! He asks and asks, but his parents keep saying no. Until the day his Dad hands him a present. What could it be? Is it a snake? A fish? No siree. Albert doesn’t get any ‘ole pet. He gets a potato!

Albert and his potato do it all together! Read, swing, slide, and more. You’ll see their smiles grow bigger and brighter with each new adventure. Albert is a cutie! His enthusiasm and joy can be seen all over his face. And potato’s too! But can these two stick together forever? Come and see.

I loved this book from the very first flip. The colors and energy all added up to huge fun! And the little details like the giraffe lamp and potato caps made me giggle. The only uh-oh was the...

It’s an adorable, heartwarming tale about taking care of the ones we love. It’s sure to put a smile on your face.

Highly recommended.

p.s. You might want to have some potatoes on hand. :)

Profile Image for Laura Harrison.
1,167 reviews137 followers
July 29, 2022
The illustrations by Momoko Abe are amazing and 3/4 of the book is terrific and funny. It is the ending or lack of it that warrants only three stars. A child desperately wants a pet. All through the year he isn't allowed to have one. One day his joker father gifts him with a potato. Wrapping paper and all. What a guy. The child eventually befriends the sad looking potato. They have a super close relationship (truly), until the mom tosses the potato in the trash while the child is sleeping. Another winner of a parent. The child ends up burying the potato. Sort of makes a grave for it. You definitely feel for this child. The potato starts growing to the child's complete surprise. Several potatoes are grown, and the potatoes are given out to the neighbors. I was expecting a Groot Guardians of the Galaxy ending. Especially because the potato had facial features. But no. The beloved potato is gone. The child doesn't seem to make friends with a new one. There are too many picture books that are created that don't have an ending that follows the storyline and has a satisfying conclusion. The children and parents are getting short changed. I'm not loving that. The illustrations may be worth purchasing the book. Just you or your child come up with a great and complete ending.
Profile Image for Rosemary Standeven.
1,055 reviews58 followers
May 15, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Jasmine.
29 reviews
May 18, 2022
This delightful picture book by Josh Lacey is a hilarious take on the age old question; ‘can I have a pet’?

For those who are firmly in the ‘no pet’ camp this book provides the perfect solution – a pet potato.

At first little Albert is unimpressed when his Dad presents him with his new pet. Afterall, Dad is always making silly jokes like this. But soon Albert is very taken with his new companion. His potato takes rides in his toy train, rolls down the slide at the park, and accompanies Albert to his swimming lessons.

Until one morning, his potato is nowhere to be seen. Albert later discovers him in the rubbish bin and has to say a sad goodbye to him. But anyone who knows what happens when you bury a potato in the ground might have a guess at the happy ending to this story…

This is certainly a funny and engaging picture book which we hugely enjoyed. Momoko Abe’s beautiful illustrations are captivating with their whimsical style and warm colour palette. It is a story we have continued to laugh about after reading, and a book we are sure to pick up and read many more times!

[I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review]
Profile Image for Laura.
2,065 reviews42 followers
September 3, 2022
Albert really wants a pet but nothing seems just right for his family. His dad gives him a potato and Albert begrudgingly begins caring for it. He discovers that the potato loves books about pirates and visiting the playground. The potato becomes smelly and moldy. Instead of throwing it away, Albert buries it in his yard. To his delight, the potato grows into a plant and Albert is able to give potatoes to his friends at the end of the story.

So cute! So sweet. I love Momoko Abe's illustrations and the depiction of a variety of emotions in the story. Bonus: Albert's family is multiracial; I love these kinds of depictions that are positive representations without being the point of the story.
Profile Image for Alyssa Gudenburr.
2,664 reviews19 followers
February 4, 2024
I felt bad for the kid. He really wanted a pet and to be funny, his father gave him a potato. Then they threw the potato away when he got moldy! Yes new potatoes grew but only after they had a funeral for the poor potato.
Profile Image for Julie.
1,428 reviews
July 27, 2022
When I was a kid, I used to blow out the center of an egg, and turn the hollow shell into my "pet." I'd draw a face on it, make it clothes, create little shoebox beds and houses for my pet egg, Until it eventually cracked and had to be tossed away. This new, precious picture book, reminds me of that memory, 100%
Profile Image for Ahmad Alkhiary.
74 reviews1 follower
September 13, 2023
احسن كتاب قرأته السنة هادي.
قصة وحبكة وشخصيات واحداث من الطراز الفاخر ، والنهاية غير متوقعة ابدا.
٥/٥ انصح بها وبشدة.
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15.5k reviews464 followers
July 14, 2022
Een best leuk boek over een stel ouders die besluiten om hun kind een aardappel te geven in plaats van een huisdier (want nee een giraf kan echt niet). Ik vond het idee leuk en ik genoot ook van hoe Aron en de aardappel vrienden werden en ze echt ALLES samen deden. Wat er daarna gebeurde was zowel een verrassing als iets dat ik verwachtte. Haha. Ik vond het erg leuk gedaan. Ook toffe illustraties.
Oh, en kijk zeker naar de schutbladen!
Profile Image for Cat Strawberry.
839 reviews22 followers
December 30, 2024
Aw, this is such a sweet story with a great ending! All Albert has ever wanted is a pet. He’s asked his parents for one many times, but they always say no. One day Albert’s dad has a present for him, Albert is excited, but when he unwraps it he finds a potato and is told by his dad that it’s a pet potato. Albert doesn’t want a pet potato, he wants a real pet, but could the potato be a real pet too? This is a lovely book that’s wider than A4 in size and is filled with thick matt pages and colourful illustrations and text. The paperback cover has an interesting canvas-like texture to it too.

When Albert is given the potato as a pet by his dad, he decides to ignore it and puts it away on a table. But when Albert looks at the potato, the potato seems to look sad, could it really be sad and have feelings like a real pet? I love what happens in this story as Albert ends up loving his pet potato and treating it like a real pet. The love he has for a simple object is something so many children can relate to, including me who had a mini pet log at some point in my childhood! I love the different ways Albert ends up spending time with his pet potato, and how creative he is. But after some time with his potato, something happens to it, and Albert ends up upset.

I don’t want to spoil what happens but it’s a good story for exploring losing something and the grief felt over that loss. There is such a briliant ending to the story though and a fun twist that I’m sure plenty of children will enjoy. The illustrations really add to this story making it so fun to look at. I love the simplicity of the illustrations, the way everyone looks and how some textures look too, and I especially love the potato and the various expression it and the other characters have on their faces. The end pages of the book are so fun to look at, as you can see what happens before and after Albert’s adventures with his pet potato, and ther is a little image to spot of the Andersen Press famous elephant too!

Overall this is such a fun book and a really great one for children to read and look at. I love what happens, the story of Albert finding a love for his unusual pet is so sweet, and what happens at the end, despite some sadness before the end, is so heart-warming and lovely. I’m sure it’s a picture book that will be enjoyed again and again and will teach kids something about potatoes too!
-Thanks to the publisher for a free copy.
Profile Image for Becs.
1,599 reviews55 followers
March 21, 2023
If your child is desperate for a pet dog, you might want to give this book a whirl.

Albert is one such child. Doesn't have to be a dog though; he'd be happy with a cat, hamster, giraffe or even a racoon if you'd let him. Mum and Dad think Albert might not be quite ready for such a big responsibility (and I suspect Mum and Dad have their own agenda for avoiding a pet too!) and so they give him an unusual type of pet: a potato.

Albert thinks his potato-pet is a bit rubbish at first, but he slowly grows to appreciate having his knobbly buddy around and finds having a potato-pet actually is quite fun. Until it gets all mouldy and Mum throws it in the bin! (Don't blame her - those little fella's get pretty gross when they start to squidge!).

The story is a really nice way to teach children that responsibility can be "enjoyed" from alternative methods - not just getting a furry friend. It also teaches them patience - if you try hard with a potato, perhaps a hamster comes next. So the message is really nice and well considered; it's a little weird, truth be told, when Albert manages to grow his potatoes and gives them as gifts to the other kids at school - generous, but still I would assume a poorly received gift none the less! But other than that, a nice story with a good message for young readers.

ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Leticia.
318 reviews3 followers
September 28, 2023
The illustrations are carrying the whole rating, because the text is a big ol' what-the-heck. My daughter legitimately started tearing up because even she could recognize how sad of a situation it is. So the kid wants a pet, right? His dad gives him a potato. Doesn't even really explain why, or that it isn't a pet that will last a long time, just gives the kid a potato to take care of. How very loving of him. So then, the mom throws the potato away, cruelly saying it stinks and that she doesn't want it in her house. So they pull it out of the trash and have to go bury it. Not much closure for the potato that the child was forced to have as a pet instead of a real pet. Then suddenly there are smaller potatoes and everyone gets a potato. My daughter understood what maybe the author and the parents didn't understand - the potato is still gone. He had to wait all that time for new potatoes without his potato with him. And not to mention, there are two types of potatoes at the store. The kind that are bred to not sprout and instead rot, and the kind that will first sprout before it really shrivels and rots. So if the mom thought the potato stank, it wasn't going to sprout roots anyway. Who knew a book about a pet potato could get me so heated.
3,117 reviews11 followers
May 9, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Marijt.
362 reviews2 followers
January 30, 2023
GEWELDIG!

Hoe kom je erop?! Geef een aardappel aan een kind om te bewijzen dat hij goed kan zorgen voor iemand. Het was bijna jammer dat Aron uiteindelijk een huisdier krijgt, maar gelukkig blijft de Aardappel in zijn hart zitten (en ook in dat van 7jarige zoonlief en van mij!). En we hebben ook nog eens erg gelachen!

Dit boek moet op elke school aanwezig zijn, want dit is
- gewoon leuk om voor te lezen;
- tof om als logeerboek door ouders te laten (voor)lezen;
- leerzaam om vanuit dit boek thema's als eten, groente, moestuinen, (huis)dieren, etc. te vertrekken.

Explorerend prentenboek voor groep 1/2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Matthew.
1,062 reviews5 followers
January 31, 2023
Pretty good story about a boy who wants a pet, but his parents refuse. So they end up giving him a pet potato. Yes, you heard me right, a pet potato. Hey, before you laugh just remember an entire generation grew up with pet rocks! Anyway, this boy desires to take care of this potato, until one day he finds it in the trash. When his parents agree finally to buy him a pet, the boy refuses, because he wants his pet potato back. The ending is cute and went someplace I didn't expect but should have. The illustrations are alright. The boy looks like a young Richard Ayoade from the Britsh television series The IT Crowd. My rating - 3/5
Profile Image for Bettendorf Library.
454 reviews26 followers
June 19, 2023
In The Pet Potato, we meet Albert who like many children desperately wants a pet. However Albert's parents are a firm "no" in the pet department. Albert's father thinking himself clever, gifts Albert a potato and says the potato is now his pet. While Albert is initially upset with his father's prank, the truth that humans will pack bond with anything wins out and Albert and the potato become best friends.

Sadly potatoes go bad, which leads to the next conflict. The resolution is charming, and the stubbornness of Albert sticking with his pet potato no matter what reminded me of several kids I know. (One of those kids was myself). -Reviewed by Jenna I.
702 reviews
picture-books
March 14, 2024
Date: 3.08.24
Attendees: 109
Theme: Potatoes

Introduction and announcements: We Clap and Sing Hello

Book one: The Pet Potato by Josh Lacey
Show kids pet potato, and talk about the eyes

Song/rhyme/game one: Aiken Drum with potato dishes

Book two: Rot the Cutest in the World by Ben Clanton

Song/rhyme/game two: The Party Freeze Song by the Kiboomers

Book three: Potato Pants by Laurie Keller

Song/ rhyme/ game three: Hot Potato by the Wiggles (with dance scarves)

Activity: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/2377760...
771 reviews7 followers
June 21, 2022
This is a cute, funny book that will surprise you with its heart. All Albert ever wanted was a pet but his parents really don't want one but the kid never lets up, so his dad gives him a potato as a joke that turns into a beautiful relationship. It seems silly but there is lessons of the beauty of imagination, loss, and a form of rebirth. And I totally related to the parents who just wanted the pestering to stop.
Profile Image for Ms. B.
3,749 reviews86 followers
August 4, 2023
A potato can be a special pet in this story about unique pets and what happens when you plant a potato. If you're looking for another book about planting potatoes, check out John Coy's Two Old Potatoes and Me, a Reading Rainbow selection from 2005.
Profile Image for Pauline.
528 reviews9 followers
January 23, 2024
Grappig boek over Aron die dolgraag een huisdier wil en een aardappel krijgt. Hij raakt verknocht aan de aardappel, maar helaas weten we wat op een gegeven moment met een aardappel gebeurt...

Het is een warm prentenboek over de liefde tussen Aron en zijn Aardappel en het onvermijdelijke einde. Een duidelijk en overzichtelijk verhaal.

Het voorwoord van Josh Lacey naar zijn kind spreekt trouwens boekdelen. 😉

Dit prentenboek hoort bij de Nationale Voorleesdagen 2024.
Profile Image for Yessica.
165 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2022
Leuk verrassend prentenboek. Aron wil graag een huisdier maar krijgt een aardappel.. hij neemt zijn aardappel iveral mee naartoe en geniet enorm. Wanneer de aardappel gaat rotten en hij hem moet begraven heeft hij veel verdriet. Hij mag van zijn ouders dan toch een huisdier, daarna neemt het boek een verrassende wending. Erg leuk gevonden. Vrolijk voorleesboek met mooie illustraties.
Profile Image for Amy.
529 reviews4 followers
December 18, 2023
What a sweet story about a boy named Albert who begs his parents for a pet to no avail, until prankster pops wraps a potato and claims it's a pet for Albert. Hardy har har. The illustrations of Albert including the potato in his playtime and daily activities are precious. Little readers will even get a brief lesson on death when the potato gets moldy and they bury him in the garden.
113 reviews
November 12, 2025
Cute story about a boy who wants a pet but his parents give him a potato! Can you believe that? At first he doesn't even want the pet potato, but once he starts including the potato when he plays he realizes this is a better pet than he thought. However, no food pet can be with you forever! Clever and cute ending!
Profile Image for Kirsti.
3,023 reviews128 followers
July 1, 2022
I love children's books and potatoes, so this was ideal for me. I suppose there's a message about being responsible and patient, but it's really just a fun story. Illustrations are full of action and somehow make a potato seem not only sentient but also capable of emotion.
3,260 reviews19 followers
Read
July 26, 2022
Haha, a book about pets that isn't about animals! (I don't have a bookshelf/tag for pets, just for animals.) This book is so cute. The last page is hilarious - there's a man throwing a potato, another using it like a hacky sack. Someone said, "go wild" with potato illustrations I guess.
3 reviews
February 6, 2023
Hilarious book about a boy who is desperately keen to get a pet, but gets an unusual one! I loved the uniqueness of the storyline and the superb illustrations. Who knew a potato could look so desperately sad and lonely?!!!
64 reviews5 followers
June 2, 2023
Albert wants a pet, and his parents oblige. Only problem is, it’s a potato. Albert is unimpressed at his dad's silly joke but before long finds himself including his potato in his daily life. Beautiful illustrations with details that add to the humour.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews