About this item
Once upon a time there was a Prussian King, Frederick, also known as Fritz, who saw potential in the lowly potato - a newly introduced crop from South America - and decided to plant it for his people. However, it quickly became clear that his subjects didn't like being told what to eat. Determined to see the potato thrive, Fritz cleverly used reverse psychology to pique his people's curiosity and make the crop popular, and the potato has flourished ever since. Potato-stamp illustrations throughout are simple and effective, exhibiting Neimann's trademark wit and playfulness. The book includes a short informational note on the historical background to the story. Readers will be interested to discover how one of today's most common foods likely rose to popularity and may also be inspired by the king's creative problem solving.
About the Author
Christoph Niemann's illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Wired, Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. His work has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and American Illustration. He is the author of several children's books, among them "The Pet Dragon," which teaches Chinese characters to young readers and most recently "I LEGO N.Y", where he depicts New York through ultra minimal lego sculptures. For the Website of the New York Times he writes and illustrates a blog called "Abstract City" . After 11 years in New York, he moved to Berlin with his wife, Lisa, and their three sons. His web site is christophniemann.com.
