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One morning, I woke up at 4:30 A.M. craving fried potatoes. (Bizarre, right?) I hadn’t eaten them in years, but the memory took me straight back to my childhood—visiting my Mamaw in West Virginia, where everything was fried and served with love.
I remembered how my cousin Lisa and I would laugh, calling them "fried taters" as we devoured them. Then… Ding, Ding, Ding! The idea for Fried Taters was born! This book is a love letter to grandmothers, Southern kitchens, and the magic of simple pleasures. I wanted to capture the warmth of family traditions, the power of resourcefulness, and the beauty of small-town connections. This book is a part of a series called "Empowering Girls."
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Fried Taters, written by Peni Clark and illustrated by Penny Weber, follows Pammy Lee, a young girl who loves her Mamaw’s crispy fried taters. When the potatoes run out, Pammy decides to take matters into her own hands. Armed with an ear of corn that Mamaw gave her, she goes from door to door, hoping to exchange it for potatoes—but everyone else is out of potatoes, too. Despite not finding what she’s searching for, Pammy's trades do benefit the community. After waiting for the market to open and being disappointed by a delivery delay, Pammy again takes the initiative to collaborate with her neighbors to ensure that they never have a produce shortage again, realizing through this process the value of community and creative problem-solving.
Fried Taters by Peni Clark is a delightful children's picture book that beautifully captures the spirit of determination and proactive approaches to problems. As a parent in England who read this book with our youngest, the most wonderful feature of this story, outside its clear messaging, is that it is set in a part of the United States that is completely new to us. The hills of West Virginia and its natural dialect of Appalachian English enriched the story with a sense of place and made it feel grounded and authentic. Penny Weber's illustrations are equally impressive, showing a realism that brings the characters and scenery to life, yet there's a softness to the full-color art, reminiscent of watercolors. Overall, this is a heartwarming story about resourcefulness and the importance of community, making it a perfect read for kids and families alike. Very highly recommended.
