George Crum and the Saratoga Chip

by Gaylia Taylor and Frank Morrison (Illustrator) Gaylia Taylor (Author)

Book Overview

Growing up in the 1830s in Saratoga Springs, New York, isn't easy for George Crum. Picked on at school because of the colour of his skin, George escapes into his favourite pastimes - hunting and fishing. Soon George learns to cook too and as a young man he lands a job as chef at the fancy Moon's Lake House. George loves his work, except for the fussy customers! One day his patience boils over and he cooks up a potato dish so unique it changes his...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584302550
• ISBN13: 9781584302551
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.0" x 10.7"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 3

Customer Reviews

George Crum and the Saratoga Chip

George Crum and the Saratoga Chip is a informative and interesting book that tells of the invention of a favorite food of the U.S. It is a wonderful addition to any library seeking to add multicultural depth to the collection. It has great illustrations.

Bet You Can't Read Just One!

Frank Morrison's illustrations are the best thing in this biography of the inventor of the potato chip, Mr. George Crum. I've seen Morrison's work in both "Sweet Music in Harlem" and "Jazzy Miz Mozetta," but I think this is his best work to date. Sure, he has those signature elongated limbs and faces, but his backgrounds also curve around, inviting you into the picture. His choice of colors is outstanding, rich greens and browns make you taste the Adirondack mountains, and his precious orchid tones suggest the high-minded, precious ambience of the exclusive restaurants where Crum eventually works. Morrison commands each scene, whether the action table side or in the kitchen, (where George whips up a batch of French fries--their return by yet another horrendous customer prompts an angry George to invent the dish we now call the potato chip), or in a fish-shaped lily pad floating on the river where George lays down his pole. The story depicts mid-18th century America, and includes some interest-provoking material about George and his sister and supporter, Kate. An early scene that show George's frustration at school sets up George's later feisty personality, and his "revenge" on the fussy french fry complaint. However, it seems a little contrived, and the details about his entire life seem somewhat superfluous. Not to make too fine a point of it, but I also wondered at the cozy racial integration shown both at school and at the cafes. Perhaps this is useful for educational settings, but it's internally inconsistent with Crum's difficulty procuring a chef position, and is very probably contradictory to the times. While some scene-setting is necessary, perhaps a better tact would have been conclude the story at its dramatic high point (the invention and fame of the potato chip), and include some of the early and later details in the excellent afterward by Ms. Taylor. Still, any story about a food as familiar as the potato chip will attract lots of interest, and Morrison's pictures make this a tasty read.

More please!

I enjoyed this story of George Crum, who in 1853 invented the potato chip while working as a chef at the prestigious Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs. Crum was confident of his cooking skills but as a person of color, part African American and part Native American; he faced difficulty finding a position as a chef. Hired by Moon's Lake House, Crum's menu soon brought the rich and famous to the restaurant in droves. He felt great frustration and chafed at the pettiness of wealthy restaurant patrons. After one customer complained about the thickness of some French fries, Crum, in retaliation, sliced the potatoes wafer thin and fried them at a very high heat. The rest is history. This book works well for kids on many levels. It is a skillfully told story from history. Morrison's illustrations are bright and engaging and evoke the time period. In the dining room of the restaurant, the patrons are white and the waitstaff is black. Readers will applaud George Crum's independent spirit and his determination to follow his own path. This story of one of our favorite snack foods is a terrific read to share with students.

Hooray for George Crum!

Hip Hip Hooray! A fabulous biography that is not only multi-cultural, but will hold the interest of every child who reads it! Thanks go out to author Gaylia Taylor, who must have researched many months to find enough details to bring George Crum half Native American, half African American, back to life. Embarrassed and laughed at in school as a child because he couldn't count to one hundred, George decided to live his life by making his own choices, not those of society. There are strong messages about self esteem and perserverance in this story, yet they never beat the reader over the head. Frank Morrison's illustrations are both interesting and fun. This book is a must have for all Elementary School libraries. I loved it so much, I bought one for each school in our district!