Dappled Apples [Hardcover]

Jan Carr (Author), Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator)

Book Description

Rhyming text and illustrations celebrate the pleasures of fall, from turning leaves and apple picking to pumpkins and Halloween.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-An overly sweet celebration of fall, told in rhyme. The book opens with images of leaves ("Flutter, flitter/Gold as glitter/Colors crackle/Round the tree") and takes readers through all of the hallmarks of the season, ending with trick-or-treating: "Evil fairy/Yikes! She's scary!/Patched-up pirate/Who is he?" Donohue's bright collages were created with "handmade cut paper that was layered and crumpled to achieve texture and dimension." This technique results in an almost 3-D effect, with vividly colored pumpkins, scarecrows, and costumed children that seem to step right out of the pages. Unfortunately, the text doesn't say much or offer anything new given the myriad picture books about the season. Librarians and teachers will be better off with the fall poems in John Updike's A Child's Calendar (Holiday, 2001).

Shara Alpern, The Free Library of Philadelphia

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3-6. Carr's playful, original way with words is evident from the opening pages of this spirited, staccato tribute to fall: "Flutter, flitter / Gold as glitter / Colors crackle / Round the tree / Rake a heap up. / Run and leap up / Fall is frisky-- / So are we!" Three children and a dog tumble and cavort through an apple orchard and a pumpkin patch, then prepare for Halloween and go trick-or-treating together. Filling the double-page spreads are detailed cut-paper collages, which are brightly colored, interestingly textured, and even crumpled, creating pleasing effects. The outdoor scenes convey a sense of depth in the picture plane that is appealing and somewhat unusual in collage illustrations for picture books. With its nimble text and eye-catching artwork, this will be a good bet for teachers seeking fall-themed books. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082341583X
• ISBN-13: 978-0823415830
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,436,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars crackly and frisky, August 31, 2004

By 

tamajinn "tamajinn" (West Deptford, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dappled Apples (Hardcover)

Parents of 2-year-olds appreciate books with few words per page, and this book has enjoyable verse with vivid and even astoundingly beautiful 'paper collage' pictures. I can't imagine all the time it took to cut and assemble the various scenes from three children having autumn fun. The only reason it didn't get five stars from me is because in one of the pictures where the children are apple-picking, the little boy falls headfirst out of the tree. I don't know if it was meant to be comical, but I found it jarring... as does my daughter, who asks every time if the little boy will be okay. Obviously in the next picture he's fine, but I thought that image felt out-of-place in an otherwise fun romp of gathering apples, carving pumpkins, and trick-or-treats. A beautiful book with clever rhymes.

4.0 out of 5 stars My toddler loves this book!, March 23, 2003

By 

Rachael Spiller (Florence, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dappled Apples (Hardcover)

My 3 year old daughter adores Dappled Apples. We checked it out from the library right around her 3rd birthday, and she had it memorized in a couple of weeks. It is nice and short, and the rhymes make it easy for small children to remember the verses. So, we had to buy it from Amazon because she kept asking why we took it back! The book is great for the 3-4 age range because of its simplicity. Older kids might not find it as interesting.