Johnny Appleseed!

Johnny Appleseed

Written by Jodie Shepherd

Illustrated by Masumi Furukawa

Scholastic Inc., 2010

29 Pages

Traditional Literature

          This book tells the tale of Johnny Appleseed, a man who worked in an apple orchard and decided to move west. As he walked with a pot on his head and no shoes on his feet, he planted apple seeds all across America. Johnny made friends with everyone.  He would plant trees of his own, or give the seedlings to settlers or Native Americans to grow their own trees. The next apple you eat could have come from one of Johnny Appleseed’s apple trees!

          Furukawa uses acrylic and watercolor paint for her illustrations. The book mainly features single page illustrations, but it does include double page spreads as well as vignettes. The illustrations are simple and lack definition.  Though the illustrations are simple, the use of texture is outstanding; the dirt, trees, and grass look like you could reach down and touch them. The illustrations are created using thin lines, and the illustrations seem to flow and blend together flawlessly. She uses bright colors that catch the essence of Johnny’s personality. 

          You could of course use this book when teaching a unit about apples, and have the student’s write a journal entry about whether or not they believe that this is a true story. The teacher could incorporate this book into science by reading the book, having students plant their own apple tree seedlings, and then monitoring the progress with a chart or graph. Students could create apple prints using apples and paint, and the teacher could read this book to introduce the activity. This book has not received any awards.