A Apple Pie

by Gennady Spirin

In this spectacular recreation of one of the most beloved alphabet rhymes of all time, New York Times Best Illustrator Gennady Spirin brings to life the delicious and whimsical fortunes of an apple pie—through the alphabet! Look for the tiny butterfly in the picture where B bit it. Find the fox on the page where F fought for it.

Discover hundreds of delightful details in these enchanting pictures each time the book is shared. A timeless celebration of the alphabet, and an incredible work of art by the great artist Gennady Spirin.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 2005

About the author

Gennady Spirin (1948- ) is a Russian painter and children's book illustrator. A graduate of the Surikov School of Fine Art in Moscow and the Moscow Stroganov Institute of Art, he is noted for his unique style of watercolor illustration. He has illustrated works by classic authors such as William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy as well as children's books by contemporary celebrities. His oil paintings hang in public and private galleries throughout the world, and he has been profiled by The New York Times. His depiction of The Nutcracker was selected by Saks Fifth Avenue as the centerpiece of their famous Christmas display in 1997 and 1998. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992, Spirin immigrated with his wife and sons to the United States, ultimately settling in Princeton, NJ, where he has lived and worked since.

(source: Wikipedia)


Alternate spellings:
Gennadij Spirin
Gennadi Spirin
Генадий Спирин
ガナディ・スピリン

Reviews

[Annie MacPherson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would probably appreciate this more if it held more historical significance for me.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really beautiful illustrations. I will use this in the classroom as a connector with autumn, apples, A-to-Z, lists, Thanksgiving, 17th/18th century England, Colonial America, sequencing, sharing, and probably other concepts as well. The pages for X and Y are less than inspiring, but maybe I'll challenge my students to improve these pages. On the other hand, we write A-to-Z books each year, and maybe I will use this to illustrate that sometimes it's very difficult as an author to get everything perfect. In short, it's enjoyable and attractive, so I will find ways to use it in the classroom each year in my attempt to expose my students to a WIDE VARIETY of books.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this version when I couldn't find the Kate Greenaway version at the library. It's a fun little ABC book. Spirin's illustrations are lovely though not perhaps as charming as I might have liked. Yes, sometimes I like cutesy and thought that this book would deliver. Still, the illustrations are very well done and I like the 1600s-1700s tone (could be English, of course, but I tended to think of it as American Colonial era) given that the poem is from that era. Is fun to find the little creatures that match the letters, too.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking like an antique alphabet primer or copybook, this is an absolutely gorgeous book. The handwriting is stunning, and the illustrations charming. The story, well, there isn't one. Like...at all. It's just a list of apple pie themed activities linked to the letters of the alphabet. That fine. I can handle that. But then I got to X. And they didn't even try. I know X is tough, but there were possibilities here. And then they didn't even try for Y, either! I'll give them Z, because the sleeping Z's make sense, but I'm dropping the rating a full star for the utter FAIL of X and Y. Because, really. If you're writing an alphabet book, you can't just ignore letters!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently the text of this book is taken from a text from the 1600s. It is beautifully illustrated in a Victorian sort of way. I'm not sure children will enjoy looking at it as much as adults probably would.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is sort of an odd alphabet book, but interesting to look at. Each letter is related back in some way to apple pie.

The illustrations are well done.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are glorious.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

As this is just an alphabet poem, it might be good for an ending quick-read book...

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful alphabet book written and illustrated by Gennady Spirin, using both print and cursive letters. It’s gorgeous and whimsical!

[Ad Astra · Rating 3 out of 5]

STUNNING illustrations. Weird for a kids book. Idk, not my style.

[linnybee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing particularly against this book... I just fine this poem insipid and clunky.

[Mari]

alphabet

[Caroline K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations, but not my favorite Alphabet book, though it introduces some good vocabulary words.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. If your kid is the kind that really likes artwork in picture books, and doesn't care so much for story, maybe this is for them. There's definitely an old-world feel here, which reminds me of early 20th century Christmas books, though with a lot more colors.

But if your kid wants any sort of quality in writing, skip this. The little public domain ditty it was taken from is just a very boring list of things children do with an apple pie, and the latter letters of the alphabet find themselves oddly used. X and Z had absolutely no X or Z involved, for example. And the artist doesn't even bother being particularly clever with their illustrations. Perhaps if there were extra details in the background, it might be an interesting little seek-and-find, but the action in the pictures is very bland.

Don't even bother with a library checkout. I was, luckily, at the library with my nephew (3 years old), and he could not keep his attention on the book at all. Glad I didn't have to carry it home.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The jury is still out on this book. We've read it and it was engaging enough to finish, but it hasn't been requested again. The rhyme itself comes from the 1600's and that idea is to use the appeal of Apple pie to teach children the alphabet. So, we get things like, "E Eats it" and "F Fought for it" and "G Got it" and "H Had it". It's a little abstract, but it works for most of the letters, until it falls apart with "X All had a large slice" and "Y And went off to bed" and "Z zzzzzz".

The illustrations are georgeous with little details that add interest (the fox on the F page, for example) and evoke English experience long ago, much like a traditional rendering of Mother Goose. Letters are presented in their script and cursive, capital and lower case forms. Lines are used effectively. There is a lot to like here, particularly in the illustration. But it is just not coming together for us...

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I make any criticism, let me first say that I loved, loved, loved the illustrations and the calligraphy in this book.

I was like, like, liking this book until I hit the letter X. And there was no recovery for Y and Z. Really? We couldn't have made an "X" on the top crust to let out steam. And "You ate it" might have been funny. I would have even forgiven the falling asleep with the "Zzzzz" afterward. But no, the book had to turn all abstract and make no sense for the last three letters. I appreciate that three out of 26 isn't usually a bad average, but you try explaining those last three letters to a six-year-old.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely detailed illustrations grace and update the pages of this classic old book, in use since the 1600's, for learning the alphabet. The illustrations capture the 17th millennium in stye and fashion, and charm the reader on each page. The soft tones and muted pallet may lack appeal to some 21st millennium kids or parents, who expect bright bold colors, but those that trouble to look past the style to content of the lovely drawings won't be disappointed.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. They were simple, yet very involved. Because the illustrations were of a different time period that could be used to teach the differences in activities. This could also be used to develop different verbs and feelings, as the book continues on to describe the need for this apple pie.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gennady Spirin has easily become my favorite illustrator. The artwork in this book is different than many of her fairy tales and biblical treasures. I do not care for the text but I do love to elegance of the book and how well it held my four year old's attention.

[Danielle Miskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the things you could do to an apple pie that follow the alphabet. Very cute and creative. Helps to learn the alphabet.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations of this book. Moreover, ABC theme was very creative.

[Cindy Pardew]

This book goes through the alphabet always refering to pie. Beautiful illustrations with and old fashion twist.

[RaeLene · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABC: This book has great illustrations. Each letter has animal that starts with the same letter. Some of the letters give up.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was very unsatisfied with the ending. X, Y, and Z had nothing to do with the pie... where as the last 23 letters had. Fun pictures, but some things were pretty random.

[Bonnie Pohlig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A creative way to present the alphabet - all the things you can do with/for apple pie. I liked the pictures, as it is more old fashioned.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very interesting for my children. Some letters are done abstractly. Some letters had great ideas about pie.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ABC book has an elegant flair to it. Enjoyed the apple pie theme for as long as it lasted. It got a little forced at the end, though.