SPUD ON THE RANCH

French-fry protagonist Spud Russet returns in Dooley-Panko’s picture-book sequel.

In his last adventure, Spud became “one of the first fries to ever dip into aioli,” but now that he’s famous, he feels like something’s lacking in his life. He misses his home, but, more than that, he misses the ranch there—ranch dressing, that is. After donning a cowboy hat and a red bandana, Spud ventures out to reunite with his family. Mom, Dad, and his sister, Tater Tot, are overjoyed to see him. They missed him—and, Mom points out, the ranch missed him, too. An overjoyed Spud takes a flying leap into a bowl of ranch dip: “The chill wrapped around him like an old blanket. The herbs whispered, ‘Welcome home.’” Although he still loves aioli, he realizes he doesn’t have to choose between the two condiments—and likewise, he doesn’t have to choose between having adventures and coming back home. As with any story about sentient food, young readers probably shouldn’t think too hard about unanswered questions (for example, is someone going to eat Spud?). But although the story’s a bit thin on plot, it’s wonderfully fun, and funny, throughout. Shobaru’s illustrations are the perfect complement to the lighthearted story: They’re simple, with clean lines, and the entire family of potato products have wonderfully expressive faces.

A delicious tale, dipped in great imagery.