CLIP Reviw: Johnny Appleseed

Author & Illustrator:  Will Moses

Remember all those tales you've heard about Johnny Appleseed? How he slept on a blanket of leaves or in a hollowed out tree? That he wore an old pot on his head and talked to animals, even wolves?

Well, the real-life Johnny actually did all those things and much more! He was born John Chapman in a little Massachusetts village in 1774, on the brink of the American Revolution. As a young man, Johnny was set on going where the wild lands were: west to the frontier.  But he knew he needed something to trade. Johnny figured apple trees were just what the frontier needed, and he'd supply them. "His apple trees and orchards served as living beacons for settlers to follow on their migration".  

It wasn't long before tales about this odd, kindly man who lived alone in the woods and talked with animals, ate from beehives and grew apple trees were popping up all over the west.  Johnny was an avid reader and was known for telling Bible stories to those with whom he shared a meal.

Johnny Appleseed truly was a remarkable man, credited with planting tens of thousands of apple trees. Apples are good for just about anything, aren't they? You can cook them, preserve  them, make dried apples, apple butter, applesauce, apple pie, apple cider, apple brandy, apple vinegar, apple bread and BEST of all, apples just taste delicious!
                                         

Thank you, Johnny Appleseed!

CLICK HERE for more information about Johnny Appleseed
and a crossword puzzle for older children.

Does the illustrator's name sound familiar? Will Moses began painting at the age of 4 with his grandfather, who learned to paint from his mother, Anna Mary Robertson, better known as Grandma Moses. Will has received worldwide recognition for his individual folk style, which is beautifully displayed in this book.