One Green Apple

by Eve Bunting Narrated by Charlotte Parry

Overview

Farah is the new girl at school and the dupatta covering her head makes her just a little different from the other students. Because she hasn't learned the English language yet, she knows that some people might not be very friendly. On the second day of school, the class takes a field trip to an apple orchard. Farah sees that some of the children want to become friends with her on the hay ride. When it comes time to make the apple cider, however, other classmates protest as she drops the only green apple into a vat full of ripe red ones. Will Farah's apple ruin the cider? Winner of the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers, Eve Bunting warmly conveys the feelings of a young Muslim girl who faces a new school in a new country. Farah's fears and joys are deftly expressed in a eloquent reading by narrator Charlotte Parry. "This poignant, attractive offering fills a growing need for picture books about contemporary immigrants of Arab descent."-Booklist, starred review "[A] gentle story about being new and different, with the author delivering her message in her classically subtle style."-Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-As a Muslim girl rides in a hay wagon heading to an apple orchard on a class trip, the dupatta on her head setting her apart, she observes that while some of the children seem friendly, others are not. Her father has explained, "-we are not always liked here. Our home country (never named in the story) and our new one have had difficulties." Later, when she puts a green apple into the cider press instead of a ripe red one as her classmates have done, they protest. But the cider from all their apples mixed together is delicious-a metaphor for the benefits of intermingling people who are different. Lewin's watercolors radiate sunlight and capture the gamut of emotions that Farah experiences on this challenging second day in her new school in the U.S. They show her downcast silence and sense of isolation because she can't speak the language, her shy smile when a classmate befriends her, and, finally, her triumphant smile as she speaks one of her first English words, "App-ell." This story, along with Bernard Wolf's Coming to America: A Muslim Family's Story (Lee & Low, 2003), can heighten youngsters' awareness of what it must be like to feel different and alone and that each person has something unique to contribute to the good of all.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Lewin's sunlit watercolors, full of space and shadow, are a lovely match for Bunting's simple but never simplistic story. A girl named Farah in her second day at school visits an orchard with her class. She has no "outside-myself" words yet. This place where girls and boys can sit together, and where she is the only one with a headcovering, seems very strange to her. But the dogs in the orchard crunching the fallen apples sound like her dog in her home country. Each child is to pick one apple to bring to the cider press. Farah chooses one that is small and green and fits in her hand, a bit different from the others, just as she is. When they make room for her, she helps push the large handle to make the cider and then takes a drink. Belches, sneezes and laughter sweet and sour sound familiar to her. "App-ell," she finally says aloud. While making its point, this is a very gentle story about being new and different, with the author delivering her message in her classically subtle style. (Picture book. 5-9)

From the Publisher

"This poignant, attractive offering fills a growing need for picture books about contemporary immigrants of Arab descent."
— Booklist (starred review)

"A story of contrasts, ONE GREEN APPLE...leaves the reader with...[Farah's] first step...on a journey of change." — BookPage

"[A] gentle story about being new and different, with the author delivering her message in her classically subtle style." — Kirkus Reviews

"Bright, sunny watercolors evoke the sensory joys of an orchard...the text conveys both Farah's initial trepidation and eventual pleasure." — Horn Book Magazine

JUN/JUL 07 - AudioFile

On the second day in her new school in a new country, young Farah's class takes a field trip to an apple orchard. From the moment the children climb on the hay wagon and Farah sees that boys and girls are sitting together and that her jeans and T-shirt make her similar but her dupatta sets her apart, the listener knows that Farah's day will be filled with anxiety, as well as joy. Charlotte Parry's narration is superb. Her voice is even, but her emphasis on specific words and phrasing, as well as elongated pauses, underscores Farah's moments of frustration and feelings of being apart. The listener’s intimate connection with the character of Farah is powerful. A.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170559916
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	05/23/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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