Tate Tuber, Space Spud

PreS-Gr 3--Tate might be just a little potato, but he dreams of becoming an astronaut. Tate uses all his ingenuity and determination to make it through space training, but once in space, he learns he's part of a farming experiment and makes five more duplicate Tates. The crew, overwhelmed with the Tates' enthusiasm, banishes them to the space lab galley, smashing their hopes. But when the space station is in trouble, the Tates pull together and use their potato power to save the day. This graphic early reader is sure to please young ones who will root for this enthusiastic spud. Text is a combination of speech bubbles and caption boxes with simple language for developing readers. Illustrations use light and shading to good advantage and have wonderfully expressive and diverse characters. There will be peals of laughter as readers take in all the antics like waking the human astronauts and "helping" the crew with their daily duties. The Tates are rewarded with the title of Astronauts, their own space suits, and a spaceship of their own, perfect for more adventures. VERDICT A fun pick for the early reader section. Readers will enjoy Tate and his offspring's zaniness and the passion they apply to everything they do.--Melisa Bailey

A thrill-seeking potato aspires to adventures in space. Tate seizes his opportunity to be an astronaut when the Food Service--bound box he's in gets dropped off next to the one headed for Space Training at the Space League. Tate is an enthusiastic russet, with a big mouth, expressive eyes, and stick-figure arms and legs. Clear cartoon illustrations and generously sized frames emphasize the story's lighthearted feel. Tate performs so well in the potato maze, the saltwater tank, and as a potato battery that he gets "picked for a very big job" in space. Unfortunately, it turns out that Tate's not really an astronaut but part of a test "to see if potatoes can grow in space." Disappointed by this agricultural assignment, he deploys his questionable astronaut skills before jumping into a "space pod" full of dirt. Weeks later, five Tates emerge--all would-be astronauts. The diverse human crew is irritated as the Tates get wildly out of hand. Nevertheless, when the space lab loses power, the potatoes heroically come to the rescue and are rewarded with their own spaceship. A final page with science facts and suggestions for activities is nicely pitched to the audience. Energetic and zany, with an a-peel-ing hero.(Graphic early reader. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.