Big Bob and the Magic Valentine's Day Potato

This is one of four books in a series of potato themed holiday celebration stories featuring a reprisal of the same characters. It is good natured, unconventional and lots of fun. The low key humor is wonderful and appeals to kids of a wide age range. Some of the vocabulary may be difficult for young readers, but repetition, picture clues, and use of words in context are very helpful.

This book is Daniel Pinkwater's best in a series that's aimed at first/second grade readers. (My preschool son loved it too.) Unlike the other Big Bob books, where Gloria and Mr. Salami battle over whether to have a "potato-themed" holiday celebration vs a "traditional" one, in this one Mr. Salami embraces the classroom conspiracy, arranging for the Magic Valentine Potato to visit the classroom. "I thought you made it up", Big Bob asks. Gloria responds "I thought I did too!" The potato-ink-stamps and Mr. Salami's thin disguise add to the appeal for both kids and adults.

This is the best of the Big Bob books. My kids love the story. We even made a Magic Valentine Potato costume so my 6-year-old could deliver potato chips to his classmates on Valentine's Day! The humor is deadpan, and the story is more interesting than most early reader material.