cover image One Potato

One Potato

Sue Porter. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, $12.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-02-774910-6

Goat wants the last, teeny-weeny potato. He politely asks if anyone minds if he takes it, and everyone does mind--everyone wants it. So Goat proposes a crafty series of barnyard stunts to eliminate the competitors one by one. Goose loses out because she can't stand on her head; Pig gets stuck puffing up the hayloft ladder; Sheep loses out for being slow. Goat wins every contest, of course. But as he goes for the potato, it's gone. Ten little mice have shared it while the big fellers competed and argued. Porter's illustrations will bring giggles, and the antics are brushed with a pastel warmth. Ages 4-7. (Aug.)