Johnny Appleseed

by Reeve Lindbergh, Kathy Jakobsen (Illustrator)

Rhymed text and illustrations relate the life of John Chapman, whose distribution of apple seeds and trees across the Midwest made him a legend and left a legacy still enjoyed today.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Poetry, History, Childrens, Nonfiction, 1st Grade

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Children's author, novelist, and poet Reeve Lindbergh is the daughter of world-renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, the talented writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny Appleseed was a real person while his life has become legend. He was a bit like St Francis - he was very kind to animals. He was also on friendly terms with the Indians. The one thing we know he did barefoot or not in the snow was plant apple trees. This is a nice poem about his legend. The paintings are lovely in the book.

The nephew read this tonight and he said he wanted an apple after the book was over. I had to tell him we'd have one tomorrow. He gave it 5 stars.

I like that there is a fox on the cover with Johnny.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on Creative Madness Mama. Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links.


We are starting Memoria Press Second Grade Enrichment Guide and the first book selection for our studies is this one, Johnny Appleseed: A Poem by Reeve Lindbergh. The first discovery I was surprised by is that Reeve is actually a female, which I wouldn't have assumed from the name. After we read through this one, I discovered there is actually an animated story version of it streaming on Discovery Education. As I had one day left before our summer free trial subscription expired we were able to watch it (multiple times actually by request). While it is a poem, it was not overly poetic in my opinion, but told a story well. There was a repeat character of a girl to old woman Hannah Goodwin that John Chapman visited, as she grew so did her apple trees and her gratitude for Johnny Appleseed.

The pictures in this book provide for endless looking and spying of this and that through out. The creatures are so small and so many and it is very neat to discover. The poetic prose tells a good portion of Johnny Appleseed's story, but the Afterword makes it complete and gives more facts and details on his life. I enjoyed the way that Reeve put together this tale of Johnny Appleseed and the illustrations of Kathy Jacobsen truly pull it together. Once again, Memoria Press has chosen a great recommendation for a spring board of a unit study. Reading this book alongside Apples by Jacqueline Farmer was uber fun and educational.

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This review was originally posted on Creative Madness Mama.

[Hlee Moua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny Appleseed who really was, Johnny Chapman has always been a great story nationwide especially in the Midwest where he started his journey in planting apples. A great way to introduce the history of apple, Johnny Appleseed, Native Americans, Life in the Midwest, how people where date back in the century, love, nature and many more. This is a great book because it hold rich histories about America and the many things you can do with apples.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poem about our tree-planting folk hero is decorated by lovely Grandma Moses-like paintings by Kathy Jakobsen.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and wonderfully poetic in presentation this book was fun to read. Not as fact based as I would have hoped in the main text, it still told the truth effectively in the afterword and conveyed many of the myths of his life in the central text. It was a great joy to read this.

[Melissa Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Johnny Appleseed
Author: Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrator: Kathy Jakobsen
Genre: Legend, fiction
Theme(s): rhyming, apple growers, frontier and pioneer life, appreciation
Opening line/sentence:
In the early days of the American frontier, when most of this nation was still wild, unsettled land, there lived a man of great courage and gentleness who traveled through the wilderness, planting apple trees.

Brief Book Summary:
Written in rhyming narrative verse, this book is about the life of John Chapman who is a gentle, nature and God-loving man. He has planted apple seeds across the Midwest, and he is the one to thank during apple season for all of the food we are able to harvest. John Chapman, known as Johnny Appleseed, became a legend and is still remembered today for his gift to our country.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
From Horn Book Guide Online:
(1) K-3 series. Through verse and illustration, this splendid production is a glorious celebration of the life of the man known as Johnny Appleseed. The poetic legend is carefully crafted; the imagery is direct and honest; and the art is executed in a rich and luminous palette, with forthright designs rooted in American traditions and folk art.

Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
There is no lack of books about Jon Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, but this is an outstanding addition to the collection. Lindbergh's ( The Midnight Farm ; Benjamin's Barn ) poem tells the story of one man's crusade to spread apple seeds from Massachusetts to the Midwest. Jakobsen's captivating illustrations, rendered in deep tones of rustic blues, browns and golds, are reminiscent of detailed folk art paintings as they depict Johnny on the road, planting and harvesting, talking with settlers. On facing pages borders fashioned like patchwork quilt squares enrich the tale with their minute details. Too many versions of the Johnny Appleseed legend make him into a superhero; this specific legend shows him as a gentle, religious man on a mission, a lover of the land with a consuming interest in the environment.

Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviewers mention how Johnny Appleseed is portrayed as a gentle man who should be appreciated for planting seeds across the country, and I think the rhyming of the text makes the story more calm and positive for readers. Both reviewers also applaud the illustrations because they are folk-like and show the beauties of nature using realistic colors of blue, brown, and gold. I think it is worth pointing out that there are different categories of settlers on each page such as Native Americans, pioneers, and Englishmen working on and appreciating the land around them.

Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The beautiful painted illustrations follow a strict pattern throughout the book that adds to the folktale theme. On the pages with text, the borders are outlined with small images of animals, people, and a checkered pattern that has apples in each corner of the page. The other page (when looking at it as an open book where you can see 2 pages at a time) has only an illustration of wildlife or people embracing nature and the apple trees. There are also pages that have no text and both pages are a large illustration of the scenery and landscape. These pages do not have a border; rather they are one large mural. If the illustrations did not follow the theme of nature and have a folktale-like border on the pages, then the story would be thought of as differently and not as nature-centered as it is intended to be. In addition, it is important to recognize that each culture has their own legends, and I think this one is definitely a legend of the “American culture!”

Consideration of Instructional Application:
I would use this story as a read aloud in a 1st through 3rd grade classroom during the fall season. I would focus on the theme of appreciating nature and also the concept of how retellings of folktales can remind us of the reasoning for things around us. After reading the story, I would want to create a classroom chart that lists how John Chapman appreciated nature around him (respected animals, didn’t carry a gun) and how people appreciate what he has done even though he is no longer living (have a harvest of apples to make products). Then, I would want to discuss what this folktale teaches readers, which is why there are apple trees around the country!

[Bridget Allebach]

Title: Johnny Appleseed
Author: Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrator: Kathy Jakobsen
Genre: Legend
Theme(s): Food, Exploration, Appreciation
Opening line/sentence:
“In the early days of the American frontier,
the most of this nation was still wild and unsettled land.
There lived a man of great courage and gentleness,
Who travelled through the wilderness planting apple trees.”
Brief Book Summary: We follow the journey of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, through his journey across the country planting apple trees. His only desire is to enrich the land with these plants, keeping the land nourished and blooming. This distribution leaves him as a legend and makes his story a legacy.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: (1) K-3 series. Through verse and illustration, this splendid production is a glorious celebration of the life of the man known as Johnny Appleseed. The poetic text is carefully crafted; the imagery is direct and honest; and the art is executed in a rich and luminous palette, with forthright designs rooted in American traditions and folk art. (Horn Book)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Reeve Lindbergh’s poetic story pleases the senses and satisfies our desire to know more about this selfless, gentle man whose gift of apple seeds enriched large areas of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and northern Indiana. Apples could be harvested early and eaten in one form or another all year—an important crop for the settlers. Jakobsen’s paintings are jewel-like depictions of this fertile landscape. Each scene glows with those incandescent colors that only an artist’s eye can see. (Jan Lieberman, CLCD)
Response to Two Professional Reviews: The story of Johnny Appleseed is well written in an elegant way. The illustrations are wonderfully done, colors popping off the page, allowing us to see the story come to life with his trees blooming everywhere along the landscape.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The imagery in this book way amazing, almost not needing the pictures that came along with it. Each line about the trees enduring the seasons was perfectly depicted in my mind as I read, making the book much more interesting. You can picture him walking along the country, planting seeds and minding to his own business.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This depiction of Johnny Appleseed is a wonderful rendition of the classic folktale for a classroom. This story could be used in a classroom while tracking his movements across the country in a fun and simple geography lesson. Simply using a map and putting apples to every state he went to and planted apple seeds. This would give students a basic geography lesson while still be interested in the story.

[Ally]

Title: Johnny Appleseed
Author: Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrator: Kathy Jakobsen
Genre: Legend
Theme(s): Selflessness/Random Acts of Kindness
Opening line/sentence: “Who was Johnny Appleseed?”
Brief Book Summary: Johnny Appleseed traveled around and planted apple seeds to grow apple trees.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Lindbergh, Reeve and Jakobsen, Kathy Johnny Appleseed 32 pp. ISBN 0-316-52618-5 (1) K-3 series. Through verse and illustration, this splendid production is a glorious celebration of the life of the man known as Johnny Appleseed. The poetic text is carefully crafted; the imagery is direct and honest; and the art is executed in a rich and luminous palette, with forthright designs rooted in American traditions and folk art.
Picture Books
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Jan Lieberman (Children's Literature)
Reeve Lindbergh's poetic story pleases the senses and satisfies our desire to know more about this selfless, gentle man whose gift of apple seeds enriched large areas of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and northern Indiana. Apples could be harvested early and eaten in one form of another all year--an important crop for the settlers. Jakobsen's paintings are jewel-like depictions of this fertile landscape. Each scene glows with those incandescent colors that only an artist's eye can see. Celebrate Johnny’s birthday September 26. 1993 (orig. 1990), Little Brown, $15.95 and $4.95. Ages 6 to 10.
(PUBLISHER: Joy Street Books (Boston:), PUBLISHED: c1990.(Joy Street Books (Boston:), PUBLISHED: c1990.))
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with both reviews. I think that this text is appealing both in writing and illustrations.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I think that the illustrations really help give the text more meaning and make helping others more appealing to students.
Consideration of Instructional Application: In a classroom, I would use this book to teach about Random Acts of Kindness and Selflessness. I think that children should be taught at a young age to “Do unto others as you want done unto you” because this is the time when children really absorb information.

[Theo Logos · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Chris Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Category (none)
Book that I want to share


Description

1. Born John Chapman, Johnny Appleseed was known to have planted many apple seeds in the western part of the country around 200 years ago; apples were a good, quick source of food for people and soldiers to eat during any time of the year. Planting many seedlings that grew into trees, Johnny became famous for his intuition of how to make several kinds of foods from apples. On one can bit into an apple without giving partial thanks to Johnny Appleseed.


Possible use in the classroom

2. The teacher could have students write a story about a way that an apple could be used for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert and present the idea to the class.


Visual Elements

3. The first thing that I noticed about this book was the illustrations; it almost appears as if they were painted on canvas. When I saw the first page, I had to reassure myself of the texture of the illustrations by taking my finger and running it down the page. It is a beautiful book filled with summer and fall colors.


Personal Reaction

4. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The poems and the story created a smooth mixture from which the idea of who Johnny Appleseed was and what he did could be easily understood by the reader. This is a great read.

[Megan Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of John Chapman, also known as "Johnny Appleseed", is amazing. He was born in Leominster, MA in 1774, and when he grew up, he dedicated his life to growing apple trees all across America. He walked all over America, during the time of the Western Frontier, spreading apple seeds in the ground and watching apple trees grow. All he ever carried with him on his journeys were apple seeds and his Bible; he didn't carry any weapons, and he was friends with the Native Americans. "Johnny Appleseed" helped America by really introducing apples into society, and introducing all of the yummy things that apples can be made into; like applesauce, apple pie, etc.
I REALLY liked this book! I had heard stories of "Johnny Appleseed" when I was little, but I didn't know that much about him until I read this book. The book was written in the form of a poem, and the words and illustrations were beautiful. I definitely recommend reading this book!
I could use this book in a classroom when it is fall, and talk about all of the apple creations that come along with/are associated with fall. It would be a good book to read before a class field trip to an apple farm. It would also be a good book to read to know more information about "Johnny Appleseed" and his incredible story!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We found a video treat at our library: we just watched Scholastic Video Collection: The Scrambled States of America and More Stories to Celebrate Our Country DVD, which features animated adaptations of children's storybooks with celebrity narrators.

This story was narrated by Mary McDonnell with music by Randy Scruggs and we just loved the format.

It reminded us of the Tumblebooks animations that we occasionally watch online. As the book is narrated, we followed along with a slightly animated version of the illustrations. It was very entertaining and we really enjoyed watching all of the stories on the DVD.

The illustrations are terrific and we enjoyed listening to the rhyming narrative as we watched the video.

The poem is, of course, based on the man John Chapman, although much of the tale is likely fictionalized. Overall, we enjoyed watching this video together.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I loved about this book were the illustrations. On the side of the page where there was text, it was outlined with an old quilt pattern and pictures of what had happened previously to the seed/tree and Johnny as well as where he was headed. The pictures really tell a story in this book. It is so beautiful and warm. I had never actually read the story of Johnny Appleseed and I was surprised in this poem who much they talked about God and being thankful to Him for the harvest. I am not sure you could get away reading this version in public school, but it is truly beautiful. At the end of the book in a few paragraphs it tells the true story of John Chapman accompanied by a map showing his route, where he was born and where he died. Although some of it is folklore, some is true but after 200 years it is hard to separate the two.

[Gordon Pennington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny Appleseed is the story of a young man who went all around the Midwest and planted trees. Johnny had a good attitude about him; the book reiterates several times that everything in life works just fine. This book was pretty boring to me, although I have a disposition towards fantasy or science fiction so that may be part of the problem. Parts of the book rhymed, which made it a little more fun to read. Overall the kids that I read to thought this book was average; I agree with their assessment.

[Liz Benitez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interest Level: K-3
Reading Level Equivalent: 4.5

This is a poem about John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed because he planted apple seeds across the Midwest of the United States. In the poem he walks everywhere planting the seeds and sharing stories with people he meets. The poem is Fiction because John did not plant all the orchards in America but he did own nurseries in three states (Pennsylvania, Ohio and Northern Indiana) and contributed to bringing apples to the frontiers in the 1800’s.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great educational book for your children of all ages. My 5 yr old loved it as well as my 3 yr old twins. Lots of good information with beautiful pictures that will help keep children engaged. The poem was beautiful and the illustrations were so detailed! So much going on in each picture, we stopped for a while on each one to check them out. All my kids noticed different things in the picture. This was a recommendation for an additional read to our US history lesson on Appleseed, and my son loved it. A great addition to any children's library.

[Paige Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. The book "Johnny Appleseed" by Reeve Lindbergh is a book about John Chapman. It explains how he distributed apple seeds and trees across the midwest. John Chapman is still a legend today and this book shows the history behind his legacy.

2. I think this text is great to read to young learners in the fall. You can pair it with a book about apples. The pictures are wonderful. Also, it is a rhymed text.

3. I would pair this book with "How do Apples grow?" by Betsy Maestro.

4. "A hundred apple autumns, with the wild geese flying by, a hundred years of applesauce, and steaming apple pie."

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio; American folklore (and stories about history) - read by different narrators.

1. Johnny Appleseed / by Reeve Lindbergh - skipped (annoyed by repetitive background music and reader's cheery voice).
2. Martin's big words / by Doreen Rappaport - nice.
3. Players in pigtails / by Shana Corey - women's baseball during WW2; includes songs at end (pleasant enough).
4. This land is your land / written and sung by Woody Guthrie - includes biography of Woody with music clips samples.

[Ashley Wampler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My class is learning about some American Heroes and we began the unit with Johnny Appleseed. This book had great illustrations, and thoroughly explained the life of John Chapman, fondly and more commonly known as Johnny Appleseed. It explains how and why he began spreading apple trees all over Ohio, and traveled from place to place.

[Phuong Dao · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about Johhny Appleseed. His real name is John Chapman. He is a conservationist who belives to save the environment by keeping everything clean and safe. He travel around the states to plant many different appleseed just so we have apple to eat. This is a good book to teach children to recycle and keep the environment clean.

[Whitney Bailey]

Classic tale of Johnny Appleseed which can be retold to every grade throughout elementary school. The teacher could even have a guest "Johnny Appleseed" come into the classroom and read it to them. Deals with the classic tale of Johnny Appleseed retold once agian, and can be used to study apples and classic tales.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poem book has traveled with me through my elementary years and was always a favorite. Good book to go along with the rememberance of johnny appleseed and the godly deed he did for 6 states. It is a catchy book because of the poem setup it has. First read this book in kindergarden and read it at least once every elementary school year since then. Great book for teachers to incorporate.

[Maddie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

My practicum IIE 1st grade classroom read this book in celebration of Johnny's birthday. The book was a short biography of Johnny's life and how he became known as Johnny Appleseed. They seemed to love it, and enjoy the rhyming that was present throughout the story. I thought there could have been a little more detail. The age range for this book is early-middle elementary.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming book is a lovely way to introduce children to the character of Johnny Appleseed. The author does an excellent job of conveying the mission of Johnny Appleseed and the benefits he bestowed on future generations. The beautiful folk art paintings by Kathy Jakobsen add much appeal to this folk hero's story.

[Natalie Traylor]

This story is about the adventure that Johnny Appleseed goes on. He walked place-to-place planting seeds to grow apple trees. Today, his legend is still celebrated.

One activity to do with this book is to have students sample various types of apples and create a Venn Diagram of ways they are similar and different.

[Katelyn Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Easy read with rhyming text
* Talks about how "Johnny Appleseed" made a name for himself by distributing seeds and trees around parts of the country
* Human/ natural environment interractions
* Humans impact on nature
* Movement of people and goods
* Good for a classroom library

[Adriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very focused on the myth of the nature loving american mythic Johnny Appleseed, the illustrations are lovely and the poem charming to read. I like the vegan Johnny Appleseed refusing to harm any of God's creatures. Perfect autumnal read.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale of Johnny Appleseed has been written into a poem and tells the story of how Johnny Appleseed shared his trees and seeds and helped establish apple trees throughout the land.
This is a modern day tale of Johnny Appleseed and the story is presented in a way for children to enjoy.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awsome book! I just loved the story, the pictures and the flow. The author is as bold to say Johnny Appleseed had "a Bible in his hand". Wonderful! I think I may haev to purchase this one.