I’m a baked Potato (May 2019)
by Elise Primavera
illustrated by Juana Medina
A lady who loves baked potatoes adopts a small dog. The dog is round, and warm, and the lady can’t help but call him her "little baked potato". The dog loves the lady and the lady loves the dog. But what happens when a dog who thinks he’s a baked potato gets lost? 
Full of heart, I’m a Baked Potato will leave readers giggling—and thinking about the names we’re given and the names we choose, in a whole new way.
Praise for I’m A Baked Potato

From School Library Journal
  • PreS-Gr 1-A small dog finds himself the companion of a lady who loves to eat baked potatoes. She loves them so much that she decides to call him Baked Potato. One day, the pup ventures outside and ends up lost. He encounters a mean blue dog, a wily fox, and a very smart owl. The wise owl tells him that canines are very adept at using their noses, and the small dog finds his way home. Thinking he actually is a baked potato, the protagonist struggles to figure out who he really is, giving this cute story a much deeper and more meaningful subtext about identity and discovering where one might belong. The illustrations of the book are truly the shining star, with Medina's art visually propelling the story. The keen details, down to the baked potato bed spread, swoop and swirl across the pages evoking warmth and inviting discovery. The wise old owl who mentors the dog is a familiar trope, giving the story a comforting fairy tale feel. VERDICT The little dog's journey of discovery is a classic tale with a fun baked potato update, complete with lovely illustrations. A fun addition to any collection.-Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia

Review
  • "A cozy story about a curious pup with a slight identity crisis . . . Children and caregivers alike will enjoy this charming tale." - Kirkus Reviews

Horn Book Magazine
  • A lady (her only name in the book) loves baked potatoes so much that when she decides to get a dog, she finds a cute little pup that is smooth and warm, and “she could have eaten him right up.” She dubs him Baked Potato, and she “loved [him]even more than she loved baked potatoes.” One day the lady goes out, and the dog goes looking for her. In searching for the lady, he also, inadvertently, searches for his own identity, as a series of encounters leads him to realize he is not, in fact, an actual baked potato (“or a groundhog, or a bunny rabbit,” as others mistake him for). Medina’s digital illustrations use color and line effectively: a fierce dog our pup encounters lives in a bright red house that seems to be tilting aggressively; a kind owl who later rescues the pup has its wing reassuringly curved around him. Though the details are quirky, the arc of the story is familiar and comforting. The dog ends up at home with the loving lady, curled up by the fire, with pictures on the mantel that hint at his life story and the welcome realization: “I’m just like me.”
 
I’M A BAKED POTATO was featured on Bon Appetit’s Holiday Gift Guide