Johnny Appleseed: My Story

A promising debut novel from an author I'll be watching in future.

This is a thought-provoking read on a lot of levels. I was amazed at how much I actually saw myself in Mel's thought processes and struggles; I've never suffered from an eating disorder, yet I've had many of the same thoughts, fears, and concerns with weight, the numbers on the scale, and corresponding urges to exercise to perhaps unhealthy levels. Frankly, it was eye-opening and humbling.

I loved that Mel continued on her journey to Mt. Rainier--I'm a PNW girl through and through, and any and every PNW reference made me smile. I wish we'd seen more of her recovery process through some form of medical assistance, whether rehab, therapy, a dietitian/nutritionist, etc. show more Granted, I have NO idea--again, not having actually experienced an eating disorder myself--what the general (or an optimal) approach is on that front, but I do think it would be helpful for those readers who do and who pick up this read.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less

This book is a Level 2 Reader which is defined as being for Grades 1 to 3. And despite being a Practice Reader this book by David Harrison does as fine a job as any book we have read thus far in teaching young children about Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman).

The book begins with Johnny's arrival on a farm. Everyone is excited to see John again and they invite him to dinner. The two children, Will and Beth, want John to tell them one of this stories, and he says 'sure' but not before he helps dad with the wood splitting.

When they do all settle down after dinner, Johnny tells of his own boisterous childhood. How he found relief from the noise of ten siblings! in the woods and how the woods became a second home to him.

The story goes on to show more describe how he set off from Massachusetts to go west, and how he fell into apple planting by accident when a cider mill gave him free apple seeds. The book covers the harsh winters in Pennsylvania and how John planted seeds there and in Indiana and Ohio too.

Five Stars. Very Good read-aloud. The book gives some history and explanation of how and why Johnny ended up traveling the wilderness. In addition, it points out in a fun, non condemning way that many of the stories told about John are more myth than truth.

Text is included below so you can judge reading levels for yourself.

"I sold sprouts to folks
heading west in their wagons.
I sold sprouts to settlers living in log cabins.
One sprout cost
six and a half cents.

"Sometimes I traded sprouts
for clothes or food.
Some folks were too poor
to trade.
I game them sprouts for free.
I knew how it felt
To be poor.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews.com show less

Johnny Appleseed was an important historical figure, well known for planting apple orchards across the new frontier. But he was also a master storyteller.

This book is a biography about Johnny Appleseed. The story is told from his perspective to the children in a family that took him in. He tells the children stories about his journey. He tells the children about the many trees that he planted and about the apples that grew on them. He told the children how much people loved the apples.

I think Johnny Appleseed is very interesting. I think his story is a more of a legacy. He planted trees all over the united states. He is really the reason that we have apple trees in all the places that we do. I remember learning about Johnny Appleseed in first grade. I remember reading books about him and making apple crafts.

Classroom Extension 1: I would dissect an apple and talk to the students about show more the different parts of an apple. We would then label the parts of an apple on the board.

Classroom Extension 2: I would ask the students to use their creative abilities to make an apple tree. I would allow them to use anything they wish to make it , including paints, clean trash, and colored paper. I would display the apple trees around the classroom as we continued ti study Johnny Appleseed. show less

Summary: This well worded book describes the many adventures of Johnny Appleseed from his perspective. He tells stories of life, and learns and grows from others around him.

Personal Reaction: I think this is a great book. I think students would really enjoy reading something that happened on the frontier, and how Johnny Appleseed made a difference.

Classroom extensions: I think painting apple trees would be a fun idea.

Johnny Appleseed is a all time story that many children love! This is a book about Johnny Appleseed. He stumbles upon a pioneer family who welcomes him into their home. He works for the father of the house by chopping wood for him. Their children loved for him to tell stories so he did. He tells them the story of his life where he begins in a large family and then goes on the road. As he travels many people are enjoying the apples from his trees. This book shows the beauty of the landscapes as well as the goodness of people and the larger than life personality of Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed was well-known for planting apple trees across the frontier.

An extension idea for this book would be to sponge paint apples and put the show more Johnny Appleseed story on the apple or to cut and taste differnt types of apples and graph the likes and dislikes of them for the class. show less

This colorful children's book tells the story of Johnny Appleseed's life and successes. The pictures are colorful and bright inticing the reader to know more about this character and storyteller.