February 1, 2002
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Gr. 1-2. A Step 2 Book from the Step Into Reading series, this briskly told, cheerful story features Johnny Appleseed. When Johnny comes over the hill, a pioneer family welcomes him to their log cabin home, where the mother feeds him, the father accepts his help chopping wood, and the children ask for a story. He obliges with a rambling tale of his life, from his humble beginnings in a large family to his happiness at being on the road, where "all across the land, folks are enjoying apples from my trees." Wohnoutka contributes a series of buoyant paintings that capture the beauty of the landscape, the innocent goodness of the people, and the slightly larger-than-life persona of Johnny Appleseed. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2002
In a folksy text with tall-tale elements, Johnny Appleseed himself recounts his story to two pioneer kids. The story-within-a-story device is contrived, but the retelling, accompanied by friendly cartoonlike illustrations, is adequate for beginning readers.
(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)