Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa

What can a potato do? To Peruvian scientist Alberto Salas, they have the power to change the world. Go on the hunt with Alberto for for wild potatoes before they go extinct in this playful picture book biography, gorgeously illustrated by Caldecott-honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.

High up in the Andes mountains of Peru, agricultural scientist Alberto Salas is on a quest. A quest... for potatoes.

Up and down the Andes mountains he goes, playing an epic game of paka paka con la papa, potato hide and seek. Finding each and every last potato so he can save them before they go extinct.

The world depends on his work, and as global warming gets worse, the climate will only continue to change — Alberto doesn't have a second to waste. The game is on!

Alberto races and peers and prods. Drives and trods and climbs. Will he find the potato he seeks? Will he win the game of paka paka con la papa?

Author Sara Andrea Fajardo’s spirited biography about “the godfather of potatoes” is paired with lush art by Caldecott-honoree Juana Martinez-Neal to capture how celebrated scientist Alberto Salas brings joy, curiosity, and fun to his very important, life-changing work.

Sara A. Fajardo grew up in Salinas, California, and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, with her husband, two children, and very playful cat. 

Juana Martinez-Neal’s debut as an author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor. For her other work, Juana has won a Robert F. Sibert Medal and a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. She lives in Connecticut with her family.

"Thematic connections to environmentalism and sustainability in our changing modern world, told through a Latinx lens, this is a highly recommended title for all nonfiction collections." -School Library Journal, starred review

"A lovely tribute to an unassuming yet impactful changemaker." -Booklist, starred review

"In a warm palette, Caldecott Honoree Martinez-Neal’s lush mixed-media illustrations convey Salas’s dedication and the potatoes as jewels hiding in an ever-shifting landscape. Fajardo smartly melds playful language with an urgent conservationist message..." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[A]n affable, often playful tone and a loose yet incredibly informative narrative peppered with words in Spanish and Quechua, Fajardo recounts the potato expert’s adventures in all their glory..." -Kirkus, starred review

ISBN: 9781250838612
40 pages
10.3 in H | 10.4 in W | 0.5 in T | 1.1 lb Wt