Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) across the Plains

When Delicious's father decides to head west to Oregon in this entertaining tall tale, he takes along all of his favorite apple trees (not to mention his peach, plum, cherry and pear trees, as well as his grape vines), carefully stowed away in a wagon of their own. The trail from Iowa to the west coast is an arduous one though, and Delicious must often think quickly in order to help her father get his precious cargo to its destination...

The third book I have read from author/illustrator team Deborah Hopkinson and Nancy Carpenter - the first two being Fannie In the Kitchen and A Letter to My Teacher - this engaging work of picture-book historical fiction is apparently based upon the real-life story of pioneer Henderson Lewelling, who show more established the first orchard in Oregon. That said, this is definitely a fictional tale, and is full of a folksy language and sense of humor. The accompanying artwork, done in oil paint, is full of light and color, and captures the excitement of Delicious and her family's many adventures. Recommended to children who enjoy tall tales and/or stories about the westward journey of the pioneers. show less

This well-illustrated story of a girl named Delicious whose family travels from Iowa to Oregon taking along their beloved fruit trees. While the story does mention some of the hardships faced on the trail such as river crossings and mountains, the main focus of the book is on getting the trees across rather than the family. I think my greatest problem with the book is that the father seemingly placed a greater importance on his beloved fruit trees than upon his own family. This would be a good read for a young reader whose ancestors traveled the Oregon Trail, but I'd want to tell the child that his own family cared about the fate of the children making the venture than upon the possessions. The story itself is based in part upon a show more family that did take trees from their former home to Oregon. show less

Easily one of the funniest books I've read with kids all year. I read this to fourth graders in my school and in every class, no matter what the group makeup, they were all laughing as the father in this story utterly neglects his family in favor of protecting his plants on the journey west. Literary devices abound in here, but whether they dissect the text afterwards or not, kids are bound to take some enjoyment from reading this book. Wonderful story-great for reading aloud and use as a mentor text in a workshop setting.

This is a really cute and fun book to read and the illustrations are adorable. All of the metaphors make this book more fun to reading. I like that the author used similar language that was used during that time period. I didn't rate this book as high just because I don't think students would get much out of it besides it just being a fun book to read.

Any reader who has tried to grow a plant or a tree knows that our blood sweat and tears are poured into the caretaking of these living creatures and they slowly begin to take on the form of children in our minds. The same can be said for this (slightly) true story of a large family who make their way from Iowa to Oregon through extreme conditions. Our little heroine 'Delicious' helps to save the family's future by ensuring the trees and plants are protected from the wind, hail, river crossing, and frost as they make their way to Oregon. Interestingly, the author discloses the real story of the Luelling family who made the journey from Iowa to Oregon in 1847 and in fact established Oregon's first apple orchard.

A father decides to head west with his family and all of their saplings to Oregon. This book tells of the adventure of a family moving west with all of their stuff. This story is based on the true story of Henderson Luelling, his wife Elizabeth, and their 8 children who came across the plains from Iowa in 1947. They brought 700 fruit trees and plants, and settled in Milwaukie, Oregon and planted Oregon's first orchard. The story is fanciful, and fun, but does talk about the trail and the things that the pioneers experienced getting to Oregon.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Appropriateness: primary intermediate

Media: Oil Paint

Setting: A large family who builds a wagon and travel across the United States on Wagon Train so they can plant apple trees in the West. This setting is important because back in these days there were not cars and easy ways to transport trees and or people for that matter. So people thought this family was silly for wanting trying. Their journey was rough at times, but they learned a lot about endurance and persistence.

Review This is a good example of a historical fiction because parts of the story have elements that are true to the time of the pioneers yet there is the element that some of the information is dramatized for the reader’s entertainment. show more The characters take on realistic forms, but their experiences are some similarities like crossing rivers etc… This is what I like about the book the descriptions, the people and they are on a mission to make a new life for themselves. It is fun to read and has education aspects as well. show less