Potato Pants

In this offbeat picture book, the clothes make the... tuber? That’s how Potato sees things, barely containing his excitement, even doing the Robot (well, “PO-bot”) before rushing down to the one-day Potato Pants sale at Lance Vance’s Fancy Pants Store. (“I want a stripey pair just like the ones in the window, with stripey suspenders for added stripey-ness!”) But his enthusiasm quickly deflates when he sees Eggplant, who knocked him down the day before. Potato’s resulting anxiety over entering the store unfolds over spot illustrations that show emotive, newly trousered ’taters and Potato attempting to take his business elsewhere in comic talk bubbles containing amusing asides. Just when all hope of scoring a pair of pants seems lost, Eggplant and Potato clear up their misunderstandings, and Potato becomes a dud-less spud no longer. The story by Keller (We Are Growing!), buoyed by her kinetic mixed-media compositions (including potato stamps), blends humor and a theme of forgiveness. Final pages pay tribute to designer Tubérto and his Potato Pants collection. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. [em](Oct.) [/em]