- awakens history in a creative way as 2 modern kids learn about Johnny Appleseed
- several different types of art make the visuals quite delicious
- convo: weighted emphasis on the supernatural*, blasphemy on last page**
Type: biographical picture book
Ages: 4-8
Author: Esmé Raji Codell
Illustrator: Lynne Rae Perkins
* Not many picture books touch on this element, but Codell points out that Chapman claimed “spirits and angels” spoke to him, that he would gather friends for a story of “news right fresh from heaven,” that he had a “spiritual bond” with nature, and that “his sweet spirit lives on in the apples we eat…”
** On a page with fun extras (a craft and a recipe), hymn lyrics are written out with the suggestion to replace “Lord” with “World” or “Earth.” If we praise the Earth for giving us all “the things I need,” what does the Bible have to say about that?
I cannot give this a good rating, most especially because many people follow my reviews and I have set standards for consistency. It’s too bad, though, because I enjoyed the angle the book took, as the modern kids’ environment went back in time. What’s too bad is the author had to go and ruin her own book! If your kids are old enough for these types of conversations topics, you might find some good fodder within.