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Summary
Summary
Everyone knows the legend of Johnny Appleseed, the man from Massachusetts who planted apple trees all the way to California. But the true story of Johnny Appleseed, or John Chapman, is even greater than the legend. In deft and lyrical prose, Jane Yolen tells the whole story of an individual who forever changed the landscape of America.
Breathtaking paintings by award-winning artist Jim Burke illuminate the historical detail of this man's life while capturing all the magic and mystery of his legend.
Author Notes
Jane Yolen was born February 11, 1939 in New York City. She received a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960 and a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts in 1976. After college, she became an editor in New York City and wrote during her lunch break. She sold her first children's book, Pirates in Petticoats, at the age of 22. Since then, she has written over 300 books for children, young adults, and adults.
Her other works include the Emperor and the Kite, Owl Moon, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and The Devil's Arithmetic. She has won numerous awards including the Kerlan Award, the Regina Medal, the Keene State Children's Literature Award, the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, the World Fantasy Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Yolen relates both fact and legend in this brief biographical piece about John Chapman, know best as Johnny Appleseed. Against each double-page painting, the text is set in a creamy rectangular box that has the appearance of a frayed-edge leaf torn from an old book. At the top is a rhyming quatrain followed by the refrain, "Johnny, Johnny Appleseed" (e.g., "Learns to write,/Learns to read,/First word he pens/Is apple seed./Johnny, Johnny Appleseed"). Information about Chapman's life appears under the verses; it details his growing desire to travel west, his love of nature, and his interactions with Native Americans and settlers. Tidbits about Chapman, his family, his travels, and the heritage he left are also included. While sources are mentioned for a few of these facts, there are no source notes or acknowledgments for most of the seemingly factual information related here. Burke's thickly painted illustrations in rich hues of greens and browns, blues and yellows range from folk style to several realistic portraits and one lifelike study of an open pair of hands holding apple seeds. An author's note adds some details of legends that spread about Chapman's feats and his unusual lifestyle. Will Moses's Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend (Philomel, 2001), written in the rambling style of an old yarn, is filled with verified factual details of Chapman's life and includes a bibliography. Gwenyth Swain's Johnny Appleseed (Carolrhoda, 2001), written in easy-reader format, includes both a chronology and bibliography.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Yolen wants it both ways: Johnny Appleseed the legend and John Chapman the somewhat fruity ("There is no doubt Johnny is strange") Swedenborgian apple-tree merchant. So she tells two tales here in a call-and-response fashion: a slice of legend followed by a piece of fact that either corrects or enlarges upon the history of Johnny Appleseed. Introducing each of the two-page spreads is a poetic stanza that serves forth a sample of the legend: "Tin-pot hat, / Ratty hair, / Clothes just rags, / Feet go bare." Burke's soft illustrations, with their deep-dish color and touch of old stencils, lend an antique and jolly mood to Johnny's antics, which Yolen finds legend-worthy even without the tin-pot hat, for Appleseed was a man who made a real impact on the look of the frontier. Some of the speculation is on the strong side--"Because Father Nathaniel was not given the acres of land promised all colonial soldiers, some historians believe he was dismissed for stealing army supplies"--but this is mostly a smart, concise, perspective-setting look at Appleseed/Chapman's life. (Picture book/biography. 6-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this comely, homespun picture-book biography, Yolen assembles the fact and fiction surrounding America's favorite orchardist into a tale both substantive and lyrical. Successive two-page spreads conform to a careful organizational structure. Set on backgrounds that look like weathered pieces of parchment, each block of text features a stanza of verse that celebrates legend and a segment of history, wherein the author shares the truth beneath the myth. At the bottom of the page, a short note, THE FACT, elucidates the story, often citing sources and quoting primary material. By strictly maintaining her tight format, Yolen holds together the multiple narratives, offering a product that works both as colorful yarn and biographical study. Similarly, Burke's striking paintings conform to a natural, yarn-dyed palette of apple reds, forest greens, meadow golds, and midnight blues, echoing Yolen's piecework approach to the exposition with a subtle quilt motif. The reader, cradled in the boughs of such careful craftsmanship, is left with a story as sweet and nutritious as the fruit Johnny Appleseed sowed.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2008 Booklist
