First Look! : A Peek Into Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Papa

I’m rarely so excited by potatoes.

Generally speaking, if I do a cover reveal, I’ll include a kind of Q&A with it in some manner. Today, however, we’re doing something a little different. It’s some covers, yes (in English AND Spanish!) but also a couple excerpts from inside the book too. And the title in question? Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert. Or, if you prefer the Spanish edition, Alberto Salas juega paka paka con la papa: Únete a la búsqueda con el célebre científico y experto en papas peruano (both out March 18th).

A taste of the plot if you please:

“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. These potatoes are special: they have the power to feed the world.

Alberto doesn’t have a second to waste. The climate is changing and Alberto must find each and every one to save them before they go extinct.

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.”

That’s right, it’s nonfiction! and best of all, I’ve some quotes from the book’s creators about it:

Sara Andrea Fajardo

“As a little girl growing up in California, my father painted vivid portraits of the Andes through stories, music, and impassioned lectures on the Quechua language and culture. His talks often lingered on the richness of the land, particularly the thousands of varieties of potatoes that sprout from its fertile soil. At the time, I longed for a picture book that reflected and celebrated this aspect of my heritage. I could find none.

But years later, when I first met Alberto, his eyes twinkled with a familiar joy and pride when he spoke about the Andes and his work. This book is my love letter to the Andes and its people. Through these pages, I hope to honor the value of an Andean childhood, the wisdom embedded in the Quechua language, and the extraordinary gifts they offer the world.” -Sara Andrea Fajardo

Juana Martinez-Neal

“Paka Paka is a story about Peru that has not been told before which is why I was interested in illustrating it from the very beginning. Being from Peru, I love working on stories that expand the vision of the country where I was born and raised. Of course, this book is about potatoes. Yet it is also about the amazing work Alberto Salas (and others like him) are doing to make sure we preserve varieties of potatoes, and ensure that we are able to grow all foods in the future. 

Rather than portraying knowledge stolen from Indigenous people (as is always done), in the illustrations I try to portray a respectful passing of knowledge from the wawa-making to Alberto’s interaction with the Andean people. While illustrating, I challenged myself to bring to the reader the feel of the gritty soil from the mountains. Take a look and let me know if I achieved it. And, while you’re at it, you can always play your own game of Paka Paka. I hid plenty of potatoes in the artwork.” -Juana Martinez-Neal

And now, enjoy an early peek at the inside of the book:

Many thanks to Sara and Juana for their quotes and to Kelsey Marrujo and the team at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for making these excerpts possible. Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert is out March 18th everywhere.

Filed under: Excerpts