Who Was Johnny Appleseed?

by Joan Holub

Book Overview

The perfect biography to "bite into" at the start of a new school year Children are sure to be fascinated by the eccentric and legendary Johnny Appleseed, a man who is best known for bringing apple trees to the midwest. Over John Chapman's lifetime, he saw the country grow and start to spread westward. Traveling alone-- in bare feet and sporting a pot on his head --Johnny left his own special mark planting orchards that helped nourish new communities. His journeys and adventures are illustrated in a hundred black-and-white illustrations.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0448439689
• ISBN13: 9780448439686
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.4" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

This book was needed!

There aren't enough books about Johnny Appleseed for the grade 2-4 ages. This one is very informative and is nicely illustrated. Recommended for classroom and library use as are most of the others in the Who Was series. Accessible for young readers. I learned a lot from it, too. Well done!

Great addition to the Who Was series.

The Who Was series is a great one in general, and this particular book is one of my favorites. I'd always thought Johnny Appleseed went around aimlessly tossing appleseeds. Not so. He was an entrepeneur, with a great idea: keep moving west and planting apple seeds just ahead of settlers who would need fruit and so would buy his seedlings. There were also laws about land ownership that required the planting of fruit trees. Johnny was also a good, kind man. And a bit of an oddball, which is why so many legends sprang up around him. I love this artist's illustrations! DiVito is great with historical fiction and biography. (See her Annie Oakley Saves the Day chapter book.)

Who Was Johnny Appleseed

This book is a very concise, clear, and simple way to know about the life and work of Johnny Appleseed. It might be intended for children (I bought it for my grandkids) but I have learned a lot from it too.