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Johnny Appleseed / Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benét ; illustrated by S.D. Schindler ; with a note from Thomas C. Benét.

by Benét, Rosemary, 1900-

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New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2001.

1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill., col. map ; 23 x 28 cm.

Schindler (Hog Music, 2000, etc.) beautifully illustrates a poem from the Benits' Book of Americans (1933) with spacious scenes of a cheerful, bearded, apple-cheeked wanderer, sometimes seen in youth, sometimes in old age, juggling apples and tending both gnarled fruit trees and slender saplings in sunny, sparsely settled landscapes. Shades of soft greens and rosy apple come from extraordinary use of colored pencils in details that manage to convey the spirit as well as the humor of the legend. The strongly rhythmic verses still roll out grandly-'He has no statue. / He has no tomb. / He has his apple trees / Still in bloom.' And if a Benit seedling, Thomas, has to add an afterword acknowledging that a reference to Indians as 'wild things' carries 'overtones of a less enlightened period in history,' this brief tribute still makes a stirring companion to more detailed accounts of John Chapman's history and legend, such as Steven Kellogg's Johnny Appleseed (1988) or Andrew Glass's Folks Call Me Appleseed John (1998). (Picture book/poetry. 5-8); 40pg.-

Ages 4-7. The Benets' poem first appeared in A Book of Americans in 1933. Here it is resurrected and set against Schindler's carefully drawn yet exuberant colored-pencil illustrations. There's an efficient simplicity to the words--'Of Jonathan Chapman / Two things are known / That he loved apples, / That he walked alone.' Also, a bit of political incorrectness in reference to 'The stalking Indian, the beast in its lair / Did no hurt / While he was there.' In a note, son Thomas Benet declares that the Indian 'was not stalking a person,' only game, 'probably,' and the reference was meant as an atmospheric touch. The pictures display soft textures and warm color that is restrained yet vibrant. Fine lines highlight judicious detail, and the whole is suffused in a golden glow. -Denise Wilms; 40p.-

PreS-Gr 2 Schindler's whimsical, colored-pencil details and scrawny, homely caricatures provide a welcome counterpoint to a somewhat singsongy rhyme scheme. An apple-juggling Johnny's bent knee (poking out of his tattered gray pants) echoes the curve of the nearby, similarly colored tree branches. This scene accompanies the verse: 'At seventy odd/He was gnarled as could be,/But ruddy and sound/As a good apple tree.' While the book celebrates John Chapman's gentle nature and his horticultural accomplishments, it also offers clear and appealing spreads of two important growing cycles. The first features an underground cross section of a sequence of tree stages from the seed to harvest. A complementary scene appears on the endpapers as a luscious apple becomes a shriveled core. An endnote from the authors' son describes his parents' purpose and places the poem in historical context, explaining, in particular, the single reference to the 'stalking Indian.' This slice of Americana deserves a spot in most collections.- Wendy Lukehart, Harrisburg School District, PA; Unpg.-

BL 06/01/2001 1885

KK 05/15/2001 0736

A poem describing Johnny Appleseed's appearance and actions.

Benét, Stephen Vincent, 1898-1943

Schindler, S. D.

No. of Requests:

Copy/Holding information

Location	Collection	Call No.	Status
Main Library - Dayton	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Belmont Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Brookville Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Dayton View Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
E.C. Doren Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Huber Heights Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Huber Heights Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Huber Heights Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Kettering Moraine Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList
Kettering Moraine Library	Children's Nonfiction	811.52 BENET	Available	Request This Item Only Add Copy to MyList

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