The Couch Potato

Mr. Russet, a stay-at-home dad, is settling in for the morning only to discover a potato on his couch. Fed up with having to pick up after his family all day long, he decides to stage a protest and refuses to pick up anything.

Things go from bad to worse as his wife and children don’t notice anything at all. In fact, they act like having a couch potato is the most normal thing in the world. His son uses the potato as a toy, his wife assumes it’s a ball, and his daughter uses it to play dress up.

Things come to a head when Mr. Russet decides enough is enough and refuses to do any house work at all. His week-long strike ends when he discovers the couch potato wearing his favourite sunglasses, and he then decides to take matters into his own hands.

Written in deadpan humour, The Couch Potato is a hilarious look at family life that everyone can relate to. Introducing a potato to your family is not your everyday run-of-the-mill activity, but the fact that the Russet family did it with so much confidence had me rolling in the aisles. Coupled with Yinfan Huang’s childlike illustrations, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.