How long has it been since your dreams contained adventure instead of the panicked feeling that you have failed to handle some obligation?
Mashed Potatoes: A Little Brother Story rekindled my belief in the power of lofty dreams to fuel our goals and fantasies. The book was self-published by my friend/co-worker, Carrie Koens and her husband, Peter.
Although my kids are now 16 and 19, I can just SEE their younger eyes lighting up at the idea of getting all. they. wanted. of. their. favorite. foods and being rescued from the ill effects of gluttony by the simple act of rousing from sleep.
When she was little my almost-20-year-old loved We Like Kindergarten, a book that had worked its way into our collection somehow. This classic was published the year after I was born (1965)! The illustrations were definitely not 21st century, but the story was timeless: Big sister Carol got to go to Kindergarten and her little sister had to stay home. The book was already VERY LOVED when we got it, but that didn’t reduce its charm at all. This little golden book truly was GOLDEN.
Another favorite of my kids was a board book called Jamberry. One novel feature of Jamberry was the two-page passage with NO WORDS. I would summon up all my imagination and whatever drops of dramatic tendencies I could and make the passage FUN as the characters went over blueberry falls.
When another blogger, life as mom, talked about how Mashed Potatoes was one of her children’s perennial favorites, and how when she took it out of the mothballs to take a picture recently, the (now older) children each exclaimed “oh I LOVE that book!!,” I could relate.
Book Review: Why Mashed Potatoes is a Keeper:
- It conjures up images of how, when we were little kids, we desperately wanted more, more, more of the things we loved (even if they weren’t good for us in unlimited quantities!)
- The disarmingly adorable yet not too sappy-sweet illustrations
- The fact that as the reader, you feel the protagonist’s struggle between right and wrong as he tries to figure out how to respond to his dad after his act of disobedience
- The outer space reference (because I’ve been in a big space-lover mode recently thanks to my trips to NASA)
- As I mentioned in the beginning, the reminder that our “child” spirit, whether we are 5 or 51, has the capacity to dream big, as high as the sky!
This is More Than a Book
In addition to sharing the qualities about Mashed Potatoes that made it a “hit” with me, I also want to note that all proceeds from the purchase of this book (here’s the link) are going to the authors’ adoption fund. They are planning to adopt five siblings from Costa Rica, and of course that brings with it expenses. Read more about their adoption journey here.
Design by Rachel Royer
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
what a lovely review and a fantastic goal for their family – I’m off to read the links x
Thanks, Leanne! 🙂
Thank you so much, Paula! Peter and I are so moved by your support and willingness to open up your online connections on our behalf. Blessings!
You are very welcome!
Sounds like the kind of book I’d like to gift to children I know, Paula. Thanks for sharing about it. Off to read the links now.
It really is a special book! I would enjoy it even if I didn’t know its role in Peter & Carrie’s adoption journey!
What a cute story idea! Love it!
It is! It totally reminded me of my kids wanting more! more! more! (and frankly of the fact that I could keep going on a good container of ice cream way past when I should have stopped!).