Customer Reviews

Johnny Appleseed

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The story of Johnny Appleseed has long been a favorite, cherished legend of the American frontier for generations of young children, and this magical collaboration between poet Lindbergh and illustrator Jakobsen is a sweet and simple way to introduce it. Both poem and illustrations are beautifully simple, lacking all artiface, and are thus wonderfully appropriate for descibing a legend famous for those same qualities.
Lindbergh's poem tells Johnny Appleseed's story through the perspective of one woman who observed his odd career over the course of her lifetime. "She saw him first", so the poem goes, when she was just a little girl and he visited her familie's frontier cabin in the woods. All her life, as she grew and with her the country, turning from rough frontier into settled lands, she heard the tales of Johnny's journeys as civilization's ambassador as he spread his gift of apple trees. "She saw him last" as well, when as an old woman she welcomed the aged Johnny at her neat little farm house surounded by apple trees. And she kept alive his legend when he was gone, by telling his stories to her grandchildren every year at apple harvest time.
Kathy Jakobsen's wonderful folk art illustrations are the perfect fit for this tale. Her pictures are simple, almost child-like; bursting with vivid color and full of creative energy. There is a full page illustration across from each page of text, which in turn is boardered with illustrations of scenes from Johnny's story. In addition, there are two double paged illustrations; one showing settlers moving into the wild frontier, and the other showing that same land as tamed and settled country, full of apple trees. Jakobsen's brilliant folk art illustrations are what sets this book appart as something truly special, and are the reason that I bought the book.
The final page of the book gives a brief history of John Chapman - the man behind the legend of Johnny Appleseed, nicely ballancing history and legend.
If you have cherished this gentle legend and wish to introduce it to your children, this book perfectly fills the bill.

Theo Logos

This book represents Chapman's life with respect and honesty. The brief bio at the end of the book and his poem accurately depicts Chapman's life as missionary and nurseryman. Chapman is shown as a frontiersman who loved the people and not as a tall tale character or eccentric missionary wondering around Ohio. The illustrations by Kathy Jakobsen are well researched and add a greaat deal of information about the pioneer life at the time of Chapman. This book makes an excellent addition to your Johnny Appleseed collection.

My kids and I loved this poem, which we checked out of the library, with an accompanying tape. It so eloquently preserved not only the historical contribution that John Chapman made to our country but also his devotion to God--a part of our country's heritage that is too often forgotten today. The art in this book is simple but rich in detail. We loved it so much that we decided to buy a copy for ourselves!

This book was great to read to my class of first graders.
The pictures were terrific.

There are many legends about John Chapman, the quiet man who planted apple orchards across early America. This book captures the romantic mystery of these legends, while emphasizing that they are based on a real person's story. The book opens as young Hannah spies him coming down the road toward her family's homestead. He stays for dinner, and leaves some apple seedlings for the family when he goes away. Throughout the years he plants apple trees across the land. When many decades later he returns to Hannah's home, she thanks him for the years of apples that have nourished her family, and tells her grandchildren how she met him as a child.

This book, well-written in rhyming verse and illustrated by the gifted folk artist Kathy Jakobsen, is an excellent addition to any child's library, but will be especially attractive for Christian readers because of its emphasis on John Chapman's faith. It is a tribute that conveys well how Chapman's influence is still felt in American culture, and it ought to whet the appetite for exploring the history behind the legend.

This is enjoyable to read and we're happy to own it. Since this is such a timeless tale, we feel it's a must for any library. The artwork is unique and the tale is cleverly written in rhyme. It's thicker than most paperback books this size.

Johny Appleseed, a poem by Lindbergh and illustrated by Jakobsen, is a version of John Chapman's life told with rhyming verse and through unusually stylized drawings. When I read this story I play a game with my kids after reciting the stanza. I ask them to find something new on each page, kind of like Where's Waldo. The exacting details in the drawings always gives us something new to do an "I spy" with. This story gives an American history lesson without being to overwhelming for youngsters.

Legend and hero tale. Very young primary.

Johnny Chapman went around Illinois planting apple trees and training small trees for goods in order to help spread the crop.

Definitely not the action/adventure hero I was looking for as a child. American, too, I think, so that meant I was less interested. when it comes right down to it, planting fruit is really not that interesting a story if you are looking for something fun.