Customer Reviews

Johnny Appleseed Big Book

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Almost 5 Stars

In this wonderfully illustrated children's book, Steven Kellogg mixes history and legend to tell a charming tale. Sometimes, the illustrations tell the story without the need for words.

Because of the lengthy text on the pages and the more mature vocabulary used, as well as two different discussions about death, this book is really geared towards the eight to twelve category.

The author includes a note at the end of the book to clarify where history ends and legend beings--as well as can be done. And the map at the back of the book will help children visualize his life-long journey.

My children and I seem to be on a Johnny Appleseed binge. This is one of the three books that we have read lately and our second favorite.

This book begins with some background on John Chapman, his birth, his mother's and baby brother's early death, and his fathers remarriage and the subsequent household that resulted in 11 children.

We are given to understand that young John retreated to the outdoors to escape "from his boisterous household" (lol). And we are told that animals sensed his gentleness and responded in kind. We also see John befriending Indians and clearing the woods in spots to plant his beloved trees.

Much of the old ways of life are shown. There are pictures of covered wagons being pulled by oxen, as well as a house raising. The War of 1812 is mentioned briefly, as well as the fears settlers had of the Indians at that time. Unlike Aliki's book, this one does not describe how some of the difficulties with the Native Americans came as a result of the actions of the settlers. And you don't quite get the sense of there being good settlers and bad, good Indians and bad, as you do from the latter book.

Still this book has much to teach and there is a lot to point out and discuss. Besides the factual matters mentioned above there are several tall tales such as the one about the soles of John's feet being so tough that a rattlesnake fangs couldn't penetrate them, and the one about his frolicking with bear cubs while mama bear watched.

[By the way, this book does a better job than most in pointing out that many of these stories are tall tales.]

The book ends with Johnny going further west into the wilds of Indiana (LOL) where he eventually runs into the children of the children he used to tell stories to.

Four stars. A very nice book. The artwork is distinctive and there are many opportunities for children to learn some of our country's folk heroes.

John Chapman was born on Sept. 26, 1774. He had a rough childhood when his father left for the Revolutionary War and his mother and brother died before his second birthday. His father eventually remarried by the time he was six. The Chapmans lived on an apple orchard and used the apples for many things including sauces, cider, vinegar, and apple butter. When he was old enough to leave the home he went to the Allegheny Mountains and planted a small orchard. He ventured through the Pennsylvania Forest and continued to plant small orchards along his way. He befriended the pioneers and was a friend to the animals as well. Johnny soon became known as Johnny Appleseed because of the small orchards he planted all over the country. Storytellers always had a new tall tale about his survival in the wilderness. In March of 1845 Johnny became ill while trudging through a snowstorm and died a few days later. I would recommend this book because it teaches and informs us of a guy who was a great legend. He was known for planting many orchards and surviving in the wilderness. He was a brave man and who knows what our world would be like without him. ~ Katelyn Carson

I love this book. We are reading tall tales in my classroom and I think Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg was my favorite tall tale book out of all the books my teacher read to the class. I like how Johnny helped everyone, but I love the fact that he planted apple trees so that evryone could have apples to eat. I like apples. This was a great book!

There aren't enough children's stories that are based on American heroes, so this one definitely desreves much recognition. Appleseed's character is based on a true character, yet there is a a fair amount of myth in the story to keep things interesting and the children engaged; this book is a definitely a treat

Johnny Appleseed is a legend who captures the imagination. Few books, however, exist on this man who has become almost a myth. I know, because after reading this book I tried to find a more in depth "grownup" book that would tell me more about this man. I couldn't find one. In the pursuit I've read internet accounts and other children's books, but nothing I've yet found is as comprehensive or alluring as this account of John Chapman's life.

Steven Kellogg does an amazing job incorporating facts and myth into a compelling story. His pictures are rich with detail and add to the mystique. The kid I nanny loves this book and all of the adventures that Johnny Appleseed went on.

I love this book enough that I gave it to a friend for her baby shower. I wanted her to discover the wonder of this man as she read it over and over again with her son.

I love all of these Steven Kellogg American folk tales. Amazing illustrations and fun stories that were meant to be passed down.

Of all the books on Johnny Appleseed that I have, this one is the best. I love reading this book to my Kindergartners! It's a MUST for introducing that tall tale of the legend! I read this first then use the Johnny Appleseed clip from Disney's Legends after they've learned all there is to know about Johnny Appleseed and a visit to an apple orchard.

There are lots of great details about Johnny Appleseed in this book. We just happened to read it during September, so we got a pleasant surprise that we were close to Johnny's birthday. My 6yr old son enjoyed using our wall map of the U.S. to track Johnny's path from Massachusetts to Indiana (on foot! A point not lost on my son who loves to go on walks).

The illustrations are wonderful and add even more depth to the story. The pictures inspired discussions about covered wagons, how pioneers had to build their own homes, Indian clothing, identifying animals that live in the forests, etc.

The story does include the sudden death of Johnny's mother & brother, but it is done in a way that was appropriate for this age and added interesting background about Johnny's life. Johnny's eventual death is a much sadder part of the story, but it was nicely tied into the idea that although he's no longer alive his legend lives on.

I was happy that the book even explained how and why tall tales about Johnny came about, which started a discussion with my son about how he (like all 6yr olds) sometimes stretches the truth about events to make them more exciting.

Overall, this book is a real treasure - a great story about an engaging figure in history with beautiful illustrations, and lots of room for added discussion and learning.

This book helped in many ways. My son needed something about how a person can make a difference. This book showed how that can happen and how easy it could be anybody that is making the difference.