Review by lexiskill -- Four Funny Potatoes! by Len Foley
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lexiskill
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Review by lexiskill -- Four Funny Potatoes! by Len Foley
[Following is a volunteer review of "Four Funny Potatoes!" by Len Foley.]
3 out of 4 stars
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A good, effective children's book should consist of colorful pictures, simple words, and a concept that is easy to follow along with, but also one that teaches a lesson. Four Funny Potatoes by Len Foley does just that.
Foley tells an entertaining story about three potatoes and a banana who perform in a show. Benny struggles through the story to be seen for what he really is, a banana. His three potatoes friends, and the green bean director, try to make Benny a potato for their upcoming show they are rehearsing for. Through rhyme and songs, Foley tells of Benny's struggle with his food friends. In the end, he is finally starting to be seen as a banana, but shortly after Benny and his friends need to run for their lives.
Foley's personal additions in his book are just one of the many aspects that I enjoy in the Four Funny Potatoes. His daughter, Sofia, who is a sandwich in his story, and niece, River, who has decided he is a potato, both receive mentions in the book. By connecting the book to personal experiences, I believe it would be easier for a child to see the author as a person and can relate to his story easier. I also thought using real foods in the graphics, as opposed to cartoons drawings, is a great idea for children. Lastly, I loved the theme of letting a person be who they truly are. By having Benny try the entire book to be who he really is, Foley teaches the reader that it is good to stand up for yourself and it is acceptable to be different.
Although the story of Benny and his potatoes friends is great, there were a couple of things I didn't care for in the story. I loved the characters and how Foley set each of them up, I just wished he would have kept with naming the potatoes as he did the other characters. The other characters all have names that begin with the first letter of the food item that they are. (Ex. Benny the banana and Sofia the sandwich.) As a personal preference, this definitely would not constitute docking the rating or choosing to read the book. The next issue that I found that causes some concern was the font that was used. The text that was chosen for this book consists of upper and lowercase letters that are not grammatically correct. After teaching children I have seen how books with improper font causes them to write how they see letters used. The last problem that was difficult to overlook was that after Benny struggled the entire book to have his peers see him for what he really was, he is still called a potato in the end. I disliked this because it could show children that no matter how hard they try, and no matter how good being different is, their peers may not let accept them for who they are.
Foley does a great job of creating a book that can be read to very young, toddler-aged children while also appealing to older school-aged children that would understand the lessons better. I also think that it is a very easy read for adults, which can make or break a children's story. The only reading group that I believe would dislike this book, is any adult who does not wish to expose their child to the concept of death and heaven. While this is an idea that everyone will come across in life, some adults may not wish to teach their children about it too soon. So, with this being said, I believe this is a great book that teaches a couple of different concepts in ways that are easy for children to uderstand, but not a book for all children.
With all of these likes and dislikes I have decided to give Foley a 3 out of 4 stars. While this is a wonderful concept for a children's book, and he executed it very well, there are still some things that bothered me about the book. I did not rate this story any higher due to some small punctuation errors and the font issues. I know this may seem like a minute detail to some but this is an easy fix that could have been avoided. Overall, I thought this was a great story that did not deserve any lower of a score but could easily be brought up to a 4 star with a simple fix.
******
Four Funny Potatoes!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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A good, effective children's book should consist of colorful pictures, simple words, and a concept that is easy to follow along with, but also one that teaches a lesson. Four Funny Potatoes by Len Foley does just that.
Foley tells an entertaining story about three potatoes and a banana who perform in a show. Benny struggles through the story to be seen for what he really is, a banana. His three potatoes friends, and the green bean director, try to make Benny a potato for their upcoming show they are rehearsing for. Through rhyme and songs, Foley tells of Benny's struggle with his food friends. In the end, he is finally starting to be seen as a banana, but shortly after Benny and his friends need to run for their lives.
Foley's personal additions in his book are just one of the many aspects that I enjoy in the Four Funny Potatoes. His daughter, Sofia, who is a sandwich in his story, and niece, River, who has decided he is a potato, both receive mentions in the book. By connecting the book to personal experiences, I believe it would be easier for a child to see the author as a person and can relate to his story easier. I also thought using real foods in the graphics, as opposed to cartoons drawings, is a great idea for children. Lastly, I loved the theme of letting a person be who they truly are. By having Benny try the entire book to be who he really is, Foley teaches the reader that it is good to stand up for yourself and it is acceptable to be different.
Although the story of Benny and his potatoes friends is great, there were a couple of things I didn't care for in the story. I loved the characters and how Foley set each of them up, I just wished he would have kept with naming the potatoes as he did the other characters. The other characters all have names that begin with the first letter of the food item that they are. (Ex. Benny the banana and Sofia the sandwich.) As a personal preference, this definitely would not constitute docking the rating or choosing to read the book. The next issue that I found that causes some concern was the font that was used. The text that was chosen for this book consists of upper and lowercase letters that are not grammatically correct. After teaching children I have seen how books with improper font causes them to write how they see letters used. The last problem that was difficult to overlook was that after Benny struggled the entire book to have his peers see him for what he really was, he is still called a potato in the end. I disliked this because it could show children that no matter how hard they try, and no matter how good being different is, their peers may not let accept them for who they are.
Foley does a great job of creating a book that can be read to very young, toddler-aged children while also appealing to older school-aged children that would understand the lessons better. I also think that it is a very easy read for adults, which can make or break a children's story. The only reading group that I believe would dislike this book, is any adult who does not wish to expose their child to the concept of death and heaven. While this is an idea that everyone will come across in life, some adults may not wish to teach their children about it too soon. So, with this being said, I believe this is a great book that teaches a couple of different concepts in ways that are easy for children to uderstand, but not a book for all children.
With all of these likes and dislikes I have decided to give Foley a 3 out of 4 stars. While this is a wonderful concept for a children's book, and he executed it very well, there are still some things that bothered me about the book. I did not rate this story any higher due to some small punctuation errors and the font issues. I know this may seem like a minute detail to some but this is an easy fix that could have been avoided. Overall, I thought this was a great story that did not deserve any lower of a score but could easily be brought up to a 4 star with a simple fix.
******
Four Funny Potatoes!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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