Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament

Mr Crum’s Potato Predicament tells a fictionalized account of how potato chips were invented in 1853 by George Crum in Saratoga Springs, New York. Mr Crum, it turns out, invented potato chips rather as a joke in an attempt to satisfy a particularly picky customer. At the end of the book, the author provides the true historical details of the story, complete with historic photos.

The story is told in gleefully alliterative and delightful prose. It makes abundant use of excellent vocabulary words like “punctilious,” “ficasseed,” and “persnickety,” offering perfect opportunities for kids to discover and add new terms to their developing lexicon. The illustrations are drawn in a bright, vibrant folk-art style with a healthy helping of small, fun details for kids to spot.

The illustrations are exuberant and the prose is delightful. The story seems to lack a certain punch overall, but most kids will likely find the book thoroughly enchanting.