Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Beryl Kenney of Presque Isle never dreamed that when he showed children’s author Karen Hesse around some potato fields in the fall of 2006 that he would be somewhat immortalized in the pages of her new book.
Staff Photo/Mark Putnam
BERYL KENNEY of Presque Isle was surprised to see that the setting for “Spuds,” a children’s book by author Karen Hesse, was “Kenney’s field.” Kenney showed Hesse and illustrator Wendy Watson around a number of potato fields in the fall of 2006. “I had no idea she was going to do that,” said Kenney. “We got a big kick out of it and we’ve showed the book to a lot of people.” Hesse is also known for such books as “The Music of Dolphins,” “Out of the Dust,” and “Wish on a Unicorn.”
However, when Hesse’s book, “Spuds,” was released last year, he noticed that the setting for the story took place in “Kenney’s field.”
“I was surprised to see that,” said Kenney. “I had no idea she was going to do that. We got a big kick out of it and we’ve showed the book to a lot of people.”
Kenney was introduced to Hesse and illustrator Wendy Watson through his friends, Naamon and Miriam King, who were visiting from Pennsylvania.
In a recent telephone interview with Hesse, who resides in Brattleboro, Vt., the author said she got the idea for the book after reading an article about a person reliving some of the fun times of their childhood.
“I started thinking, ‘What are some fun things about youth?’ and started thinking about that story,” she said. “It really started there.
“The illustrator of this book is a very dear friend and illustrated another book for me, ‘The Cats in Krasinski Square,’” said Hesse. “She had lived in northeast Vermont, but she had never lived in Maine, but Maine is where we thought we’d like to set the book. We decided to take a little road trip … just the two of us … so we drove up to Maine not knowing anyone. Presque Isle is where she thought we could center our exploration of Aroostook County, so that’s where we went.”
While staying at a local motel, Hesse came down for breakfast and met the Kings.
“The Kings struck up a conversation and they were very friendly, as was everyone I met in Presque Isle,” said Hesse. “The Kings suggested that we might want to meet the Kenneys [Beryl and his wife, Donna], so they arranged it for us. They helped us really see very intimately potato farming and potato harvesting, and I think it added a dimension to the illustration [of the book].
“The book was pretty much finished, but I did a couple of little tweaks to make it really work with the experience I had had up in Presque Isle,” she said, “but for Wendy, it really opened the book up for us and she created something very special.”
In “Spuds,” Maybelle, Jack and Eddie want to help Ma by putting something extra on the table, so they set out in the dark to take potatoes from a nearby field, but when they arrive home and empty their potato sacks, they are surprised by what they find.
“After going into the fields with cold hands,” said Hesse, “it really did confirm that you could – at night – mistake a potato for a rock. I had been concerned about that … I wanted it to be a fun book, but I also wanted it to have some credibility and I didn’t know if it could happen that way. Being out in their fields it convinced me, ‘Yeah, sure it could happen that way.’”
Kenney said he showed Hesse and Watson around a number of fields.
“We took them out to Rick Porter’s farm on the State Road,” he said. “Rick’s my son-in-law and we showed them the operation. We drove by the windrowers … all three in a row. They took pictures of the harvester. They couldn’t get enough of the machinery … the big trucks. They wanted to go in the potato house, and ended coming back a second day.
“The second day I took them to Scott Smith’s farm in Castle Hill,” said Kenney. “Scott told me, ‘Take them anywhere they want to.’ We visited that farm, and drove over to Washburn. They were just overwhelmed with what we were doing for them. I was happy to show them The County.”
Kenney used to farm 132 acres of potatoes in Presque Isle and Mapleton for Agway. It’s been almost 22 years since he turned the fields over to Porter.
Hesse said the book has been met with very positive reviews.
“I read this book when I was out speaking because I was so excited about it. I just thought it was a sweet book, and I also knew that potatoes were grown all over the country, so when I would go to speak, for instance, in Idaho, I took the manuscript with me and read it,” she said. “It met with the most favorable response everywhere I read it … even in the South.”
Hesse said she would love to come back to Aroostook County.
“It was the most wonderful experience,” she said. “I can’t state enough … no matter where we went, people were very generous and kind. The Kenneys even sent us off with 20-pound bags of brand new potatoes.
“I invited all my friends over to taste really fresh, Maine potatoes,” said Hesse. “Everybody just glowed in their response to the potatoes. I tried to fix them as simply as possible because the potatoes were so good. Aroostook County is such a beautiful place and it’s filled with such amazing people.”
Hesse is also known for such books as “The Music of Dolphins,” “Out of the Dust,” and “Wish on a Unicorn.”
Contributed photo
CHILDREN’S AUTHOR Karen Hesse and illustrator Wendy Watson visited a number of potato fields in Aroostook County in the fall of 2006 to get insight and inspiration for their book, “Spuds.” While in the area, they got to meet many local residents including, from left: Beryl Kenney and his wife, Donna, Miriam King and her husband, Naamon and Hesse. “Spuds” was released last year.
