Johnny Appleseed

by Jodie Shepherd, Masumi Furukawa (Illustrator)

The beloved story of the apple man!

This beautifully illustrated retelling shows how Johnny Appleseed bloomed from a young boy who loved the outdoors into the legendary man who spread apple trees all across the United States. Showing small acts of generosity and the love of nature can make a big difference, this book is sure to inspire the budding little Johnny Appleseed in every reader.

Genres: Picture Books, Folklore, Childrens, Biography, History, School, Historical

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Michelle and Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Johnny Appleseed’s life. It begins with Johnny as an infant and continues through his life. The story tells about Johnny’s home life and then talks about his journey across the country spreading apple seeds and kindness along the way. This is a wonderful book to introduce young children to the story of Johnny Appleseed. The language is simple and the illustrations are appealing. It is not only a wonderful story to add to a classroom unit about apples but also a great example of kindness. Johnny plants and shares apple trees as he travels west. “And the sun shone, and the rain fell, and the trees filled the land, and all was well.” This verse is repeated through the story to show the passage of time as Johnny becomes older and continues his journey. This book is a perfect addition to an apple unit including books like The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree and Apples both by Gail Gibbons.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one with some kindergarten friends on Friday, and we really enjoyed it. It presents the story of Appleseed in a straightforward way that is easy for young readers to grasp. It also presents all the pertinent facts about how Johnny went all over the country planting apple seeds. I particularly enjoyed the refrain throughout the book that ended with "and all was well." The illustrations were very cute, too. I also loved the underlying message about how anyone can grow up to do extrodinary things by doing small things well. I highly reccomend this one as a classroom read, a book for young readers, or a book for parents and children to read together.🍎🍏

[Lara Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny Appleseed is a well loved figure from history who is often the focus of many lessons through a student's elementary school career. This book does a great job at trying to highlight the historical significance of the figure and would be a great tool for talking about the legends surrounding Johnny.

[Madison Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Johnny Appleseed who was born in Massachusetts. His name might sound fake, but it’s real! Johnny has 11 siblings! He loved to take care of animals in the forest and worked in the apple orchards. He never wore shoes, but traveled through the west. He planted apple trees throughout his journey.

[Bradly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys apples and helping people. In my life I can be more like Johnny Appleseed by helping more and being friends with everyone. I think that the author could have written more on each page. I did like the illustration and how the picture are drawn.

[Nicole Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Johnny Appleseed" by Jodie Shepherd is a retelling of the classic tall tale that tells the story of a boy who planted tons of apple trees. This book is enjoyable to read and includes unique illustrations to go along with the writing

[Makkena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew about Johnny Appleseed but this book taught me his real story.

[J.]

Jane read oct 2020

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book for playing preschool apple unit.

Neither my partner nor I were in love with this book, but it was probably Stella's favorite apple book.

[Jayne Mahowald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story that I remember hearing about as a kid. I personally don't find it as entertaining as other tall tales.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A basic, short version about the life of Johnny Appleseed.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the book but the kids thought it was long.

[Riley Coonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a typical book on the story of Johnny Appleseed-- always interesting, but also overtold.

[Amanda Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book that I use when we talk about Johnny Appleseed. I use this book with my first grade readers because it can be read or sung by all of them and it reiterates the important facts of Johnny Appleseed. Because the words can be sung, this is a great book that can be used for some fluency practice.

[Evie Milburn]

Title: Johnny Appleseed
Author: Jodie Shepherd
Illustrator: Masumi Furukawa
Genre: Biography K-2
Theme(s): Kindness, apples, nature, adventure, independence, sharing, talents
Opening line/sentence: This is a true story about Johnny Appleseed.
Brief Book Summary: This is a short story picture book about Johnny Appleseed and his love for planting apple seeds, tending for the trees, watching the trees grow and eating his lovely apples. Johnny Appleseed loved his apples and is a very famous man who left behind tons of apple trees all across America.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Sara Rofofsky Marcus (Children's Literature)
This colorfully illustrated book uses simple language to tell about Johnny Appleseed Chapman. Unlike other narratives, this one begins with Johnny Appleseed’s birth and family, packing much information about the man himself rather than his apple trees into easy-to-read language. Telling not only of Johnny Appleseed but also being grateful for and happy with what you have, this book educates as it entertains. While the words are appropriate for an easy reader, the sentences are long and often compound, which detracts from the reading level, leading the book to be classified as a picture book. The muted colors and whimsical nature of the images, while still approximating life-like, brings a sense of peace and contentment, just as Johnny Appleseed found for himself and others. This book is good for ecology and environmental lessons, sharing lessons, and for the quiet child who prefers to do things in his or her own manner rather than as part of the group.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Alibris Online
This beautifully illustrated retelling shows how Johnny Appleseed bloomed from a young boy who loved the outdoors into the legendary man who spread apple trees all across the United States. Showing small acts of generosity and the love of nature can make a big difference, this book is sure to inspire the budding little Johnny Appleseed in every reader.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: These two reviews above pretty much nailed what I would have to say about this book! This book can teach young students a lot about the environment, sharing, and the themes noted above. This is a great book to use in the classroom and was very easy to read.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This young child biography has beautiful illustrations and I noted on each page how the illustrated almost highlighted and made the apples pop on each page. I also took notice of the repetition in this book of the little poem starting with “and the sun shone on….”. This is very helpful for young students can keep them engaged in the text. The simple words in the book make it easy to read and educational at the same time.
Consideration of Instructional Application: One way I would use this book in my classroom is to teach a unit on the environment and famous people who helped conserve our environment. This would be a great opening book for this lesson. I would also use the book to bring up the discussion of fruit and to see if my students know the story of apples here in America. Lastly, this would be a great book to use with ESL students to help teach them some of the American history. This is an easy book to read and could help ELLs vocabulary grow and expand.

[Rachael Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story tells about Johnny Appleseed and his family. Johnny was born with the last name Chapman. The story tells about how Johnny spent his days as a child, and progresses to his adulthood. Johnny eventually goes to work in the apple orchard like his great-great-grandfather. He learned everything about growing apples and taking care of trees. Johnny decided to move out west with barely anything besides a pot on his head that he wore as a hat. On his journey he planted seeds and sold the apples to other families moving west. He encouraged these families to use the seeds from the apples in order to grow their own trees when they settles. Due to his involvement with apples, he was nicknames “Johnny Appleseed”!
I think that this story was a great example of historical fiction. I enjoyed how the character, Johnny, was based on a real person but had elements of fiction. These elements include about what Johnny spent his days doing as a child. I especially enjoyed the setup of this picture book. Some of the pages had multiple short passages that were each accompanied by an image. I think that this could help further understanding for some younger readers because it gives an image to go along with everything! Also, I thought that the type of illustrations used were very fitting for the story because of their simplicity. I think that the author did a great job creating the story through both text and illustration.
This story seems to be geared for very young children due to its simple appearance and large amount of illustration. I think that this book could be used in schools, possibly preschool-1st grade, in order to explain history or just for a fun tale. I do not think that this book would be appropriate for older grades because of its simplicity. Overall, I did enjoy this picture book and recommend it.

[Deena Lernor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about Johnny Appleseed and his life. Johnny was born into a family that was small to start and grew into one big family. He had 10 brothers and sisters and was constantly playing with them. When Johnny wanted a break he would go outside to walk alone, sit under a tree and read or take care of the animals in the woods. When he grew up he went to work for an apple orchard and knew everything about apples. Eventually he decided to travel to the West where he would adventure throughout the country. Everywhere he went he would plant an apple seedling and create beautiful apple orchards. He earned the name Johnny Appleseed from all the apple seedlings he planted. He created apple orchards for everyone and he tended to the orchards for many years after he planted the seeds.

This historical fiction picture book shows the legacy of Johnny Appleseed. The story was full of adventure showing the journey Johnny took while planting the apple seedlings. The poem throughout the book represents the legacy of apples that Johnny left behind for all the people of America. This story shows the work he went into to share his love his passion of apples. The illustrations throughout the story are colorful with greens and reds. The colorful illustrations bring the story to life and make the reader want to turn the page to see what is coming next in the story. This story shows the history of Johnny Appleseed and all he had done while he was exploring America. The detailed events allow the reader to be interested in Johnny's life and the journey he went on.

[Meaghan Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny Appleseed By: Jodie Shepherd 2010
Meaghan G., Spring 2015
**Historical Fiction: Picture Book**

This historical fiction picture book tells the tale of Johnny Appleseed and goes through his life and who he was and who he grows into becoming. This book was a fun yet short read for younger readers. This book talked about how Johnny was towards his family, friends, and even forrest animals. Johnny Appleseed loved eating apples, planting apple seeds, and even watching the seeds grow into trees. This book talks about his travels to the west and how he went about traveling. Johnny Appleseed left his mark on America through Apple trees and through becoming friends with everyone.

I personally enjoyed this story! I really enjoyed the colorful and touching illustrations as well as the easy reading it was. This book is directed towards students grades 1st-3rd grade. The author did a really nice job of explaining the life of Johnny Appleseed and how he went through life by being generous and helping others when in need. For a lesson plan, a teacher can use this for a historical lesson plan, a moral lesson plan, and a growing as an individual lesson plan. This book does an amazing job of explaining the historical aspect. I would rate this book a 5 apples out of 5 apples.

[Rachel Trisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book falls into the genre of historical fiction. A unique feature of this book is the fun language used to describe a historical figure. This book could be used in a kindergarten or first grade classroom. A fun and age-appropriate way to introduce kids to historical figures!

[Kayla Fjellbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shepherd does a great job of capturing what Johnny Appleseed's story is about. Johnny grew up around apple's his whole life, he learned how to take care and tend for the apple orchard from his great-great-great grandfather. Johnny is a free-spirited young man who enjoys walking barefoot, sleeping under the stars, and hanging out with his animal friends. "Just think-the next apple you eat may be from an orchard what was first planted by Johnny Appleseed!"

Furukawa's illustrations are very stagnant. What I mean by that is that there's no motion in the pictures. When Johnny Appleseed is supposed to be walking down the road, a reader won't be able to see that because it isn't shown through the picture. A reader will know where the apples are in every picture though. Each apple is bright red and perfectly round, each apple looks so delicious you could just eat it right off the page. I think that's the point of the illustrations, make everything mediocre besides the apples because the book is all about apples.

[Oksanna Scheidt]

Johnny Appleseed is a story that most families read in their homes. It's known, recognized, and a lot of kids could tell you the story of Johnny Appleseed. In short, a boy was born named Johnny Chapman and over the years he grew up and eventually went west to tend the land. He planted apple seeds and gave the settlers fresh fruit and soon enough, people called him Johnny Appleseed. This name stuck and even his kids were called it eventually.

The background and illustrations for this story makes sense because the story has been passed down for decades. If this was a modern day story it would be about a farmer and how he planted apple seeds but it's not. They talk about Johnny going west and the "settlers" and clearly that's not modern day. He travels by ox and foot and he plants apple seeds. I think it makes it realistic for the reader because it ties in history we've always known to a story that's always been known.

[Michael Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards: N/A

Grade Level: K – 1

Summary: This story is about a boy named Johnny Chapman who loves the wilderness, and in particular, apples. He travels the country, planting apple seeds where he goes. He planted so many apple trees that people started calling him Johnny Appleseed.

Review: This is a great, simple informative text about Johnny Appleseed. A lot of other versions of this story embellish the tale to make it more “eventful”, but I think this version really tells the story well. This would definitely be best suited for young children.

In-class Uses:
1) This story can be used in a “Fall Harvest” unit, where the children can learn about different types of fruits and vegetables that grow during the fall.
2) This story can be used to discuss the importance of treating our planet with respect, and helping to keep the environment clean and healthy.
3) Great addition to the classroom library as an informative/literary text fusion.

[Maria Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awards: None

Grade Level: Prekindergarten-2nd

Summary:
Jonny Appleseed was a little boy who grew up on a farm. He grew up into a young man who loved the outdoors and knew a lot about growing crops, especially apples. One day an angel appeared to Jonny and told him that he needed to use his talent and knowledge of apples to help cultivate the unsettled land from the mid-west to parts of the northeast of the United States.

Review: This is a great book to use for students especially because students can see that this legend is from the United States where they live. I thought it mixed legend with facts, such as the spreading of apples all throughout parts of the United States. This is also a great book to use in the fall season for students.

Possible In-class Uses:
1. Students take a field trip to an apple farm and get to pick apples.

2. Teacher uses locally grown apples to make apple crisp with the students in class. Then the class gets to eat it for snack.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd is a great book to share with my class that tells of a man that planted apple seeds all over the United States based on a real person's life. It shows that trees grow from seed and seedlings turn into trees that have apples on them and for preschool children this shows a natural growing cycle that is easy for them to understand and we have done several activities based on the story. They enjoy the book and have learned about apple trees and seeds too. We also expand the activity by getting one each of every kind of apple in the grocery store and do an apple tasting activity that they love. All this learning and experiencing started with the story of Johnny Appleseed.

[Lule · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) No awards received.

2) Appropriate for Pre-K through 2nd grade.

3) This story tells the tale of Johnny Appleseed and how apple trees came to be in the United States. The story is fictional and has been well known for years. Children are able to see examples of a childhood hobby turn into a worth while career.

4) The story is a classic and children will have that experience of an apple and probably planting. The story is great to use for a fall theme and before apple picking.

5) In class uses:
- Read aloud
- Class vote of which student prefers a red, yellow or green. Children will have a slice of each color and taste the apples. Decide which he/she prefers.

[Sarah Mckelvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked out this book from the library to read aloud to my children. It did not disappoint.
1. It kept both children's minds engaged. (One is 6 and the other 2 1/2.) I would say that it's appropriate for preschool-1st or 2nd grade.

2. This book starts out at the beginning of Johnny Chapman's life (AKA Johnny Appleseed). He had an older sister, but later in their childhood, Johnny and his sister had 10 younger stepbrothers and stepsisters. Sometimes, Johnny would leave the house to go outside and enjoy nature (and the quiet). Johnny later started to work in apple orchards and learned how to grow apples. Later, Johnny headed west.

3. Educational ideas:
Visit an apple farm
Discuss rhyming and poetry
Learn about the life cycle of an apple

[Kimberlydaniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Biography- Poety Copyright: 2010

I have several books on Johnny Appleseed, I thought it would be neat to continue and have "text set" as we talk about. This particular book I had just recieved from scholastic, it is new and I had to really search for it in good reads as it is not rated as of yet. This book is heavy with pictures and simple with words. I like the idea of having several books like this at each reading level. What stands out with the particular version is that it contains a neat little poem every couple of pages that helps tell the story in prose. (rather it reinforces what was read).

[Jen Zuvella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading the story of Johnny Appleseed when I was a little girl. This version of the story is colorful and easy to read. The author did such a great job describing the story of Johnny Champman’s life. The book covers Johnny as a little kid and a grown man working to make a difference. This would be such a cute and easy book for young children to read, the story is inspiration and shows kids how apples came about. If you were looking for an activity to do relating back to the book, I would say have a garden and plant some apple seeds and wait to see what happens. You can also relate this book back to science, math, and social studies.

[Carmen Nibali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book retells the story of how Johnny Appleseed became a man from a young boy who loved the outdoors. In this historical fiction book Johnny was the legendary man who spread apple trees all across the United States. Inthis book he shows readers that showing small acts of generosity, kindness and love for nature can make a huge difference. This book is intended for readers ages four to eight years old. I agree with this statement. My son enjoyed this book so much it inspired him to want to plant a tree. I use this book in my classroom around earth day to teach children about the significance of loving our world.

[Erika Stauch]

This book is geared towards children grades PreK-2. This story has not won any awards. This story is a illustrated picture book about Johnny Appleseed Chapman's life. It talks about his birth and life growing up. It then continues into his love for apple tree planting and picking. It use easy language for young children. The illustrations are nice and explain the story by just looking at them. It gives the message of being grateful for what you have. Johnny Appleseed is an all time favorite for young children. I would use this in my classroom when it comes to teaching my students about apples. I would try to gear this around some type of field trip or apple picking day for the students.