Apples

by Jacqueline Farmer, Phyllis Limbacher Tildes (Illustrator)

Overview

Today, the average American consumes about sixty-five fresh apples each year. Where do so many apples come from? How do they grow? Jacqueline Farmer takes young readers on a field trip to the apple orchard to find out how apple growers turn seeds and seedlings into the many different varieties of America's favorite fruit. Recipes, trivia, and fun facts included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570916953
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	07/01/2007
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 8.42(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	NC960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jaqueline Farmer is the author of APPLES, PUMPKINS, O CHRISTMAS TREE: IT'S HISTORY AND HOLIDAY TRADITIONS, among other books for young readers. She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-4
Farmer provides a wealth of information here. The process of grafting is clearly explained, as are the differences between apple juice and cider, the nutritional value of the popular fruit, and the apple in history and legend. A handy chart detailing the various kinds of apples and their appropriate uses is included, as is a page of facts and records and a recipe for apple pie. Watercolor illustrations feature a multicultural cast of smiling children. The pictures accurately reflect the text and are attractive, although a bit stiff. Libraries owning Gail Gibbons's Apples (Holiday House, 2000) will still find this book useful for supporting those fall/apple units.
—Grace OliffCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Apples are a perennial favorite for fall eating, teacher gifts and back-to-school primary science units. Farmer's contribution covers apple varieties, how they grow, nutrition, apple history, a list of fun facts and, of course (nearly every apple book has one), a recipe for apple pie. (Why not apple cobbler? Apple brown betty? Applesauce?) Two problems keep this volume from being as useful as similar titles. First, there's no story-the information is presented sequentially within each subtopic, but there's no overall flow. Second, there's too much information for primary grades, while not being enough for upper-level students, who've probably moved beyond apples, anyway. Two pages discuss grafting and scions in a manner that will likely confuse younger readers. Half as much information, presented more clearly, would have made a better book. For libraries wanting a lot of facts about apples, this might work, but teachers below grade three should look elsewhere. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews