Johnny Appleseed

 Looking for books about Johnny Appleseed.

I looked at:

Listed in the order I'd likely buy them. 

Seed by Seed: The Legend and Legacy of John "Appleseed" Chapman by Esme Raji Codell and Illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins

Johnny Appleseed: A Tall Tale Retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg.

Johnny Appleseed A Poem by Reeve Lindbergh and Paintings by Kathy Jakobsen.

Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend by Will Moses.

Johnny Appleseed: The Grand Old Man of the Forest by Margaret Henley and illustrated by Richard Madison

Reviews of note: 

Esme Codell:

I really liked how this message was presented. Definitely a favorite (with Kellogg and Lindbergh for different reasons). Age: probably 3 and up. First, my least favorite part- the beginning. It isn't all bad and some may not mind this at all. It starts with "When we look out of our windows, what do we see?" And it shows our modern world, and then says to imagine what it once was and slowly the pictures go back in time with words accompanying them. On page 7 is the first mention of Johnny Appleseed. Page 8 is where I would personally have started the story. But my kids liked the first several pages just fine, and maybe others will like the slow introduction and going back in time to really set the stage for your kids. The pictures are well done, but it's the words that I really like in this one, so I'm going to quote a few parts to give you an idea. At the beginning it phrases the question, "Why should we remember him today, more than two hundred years later, and call him a hero?" There are 5 main messages Johnny Appleseed teaches us in this book: "Use what you have. Share what you have. Respect nature. Try to make peace where there is war. You can reach your destination by taking small steps." And it says, "...by doing the same small act of planting seeds every day, Johnny Appleseed changed the landscape of our nation. Seed by seed, deed by deed." Then it's organized by those 5 main messages. Use what you have: talks about how he gathered seeds that would have just been thrown away and he often reused things like potato sacks as clothing, and the tin cooking pot-hat. Share what you have: he sold trees but also gave them away. He also shared his love of reading and the Bible and this book calls him "the frontier's first librarian". Respect Nature includes some of the tall tales about him. Then after the other 2 messages, it ends with, "And now it's your turn. One small deed, every day. What seed will you plant?" 

Steven Kellogg:

Not as much writing per page. Possibly ages 3 and up, but no rhymes, so possibly 4 and up. I really liked the pictures in this one. In most pictures he has a hat that looks like a mix between a baseball cap and a pot. The first half of the story is more factual. Recounting a timeline, perhaps taking some liberties but not quite tall tale stuff yet. I loved the part where a band of men challenged John to wrestle and he suggested a tree-chopping match instead. "When the sawdust settled, there was no question about who had come out on top. John was pleased that the land for his largest orchard had been so quickly cleared. He thanked the exhausted woodsmen for their help and began planting. Then it transfers into more of the tall tell legends with "During his long absences, folks enjoyed sharing their recollections of Johnny. They retold his stories and sometimes they even exaggerated them a bit." The next few pages have some of the more fanciful tales and I love how, especially the picture of the snake biting him, the picture is also exaggerated with a snake that is very large. Its head is bigger than Johhny Appleseed's head. Then there is a double spread illustration with hints of other tall tales involving Johnny.

Reeve Lindbergh:

Because of the rhymes, I feel you could start at age 2. This book, as far as I know, contains none of the tall tales. It talks about his life and his influence without any exaggeration or even stories that maybe happened. The first page is actually not in rhyme, but the rest of the book is. Every page that has a poem on it, has a page with the words, surrounded by like a quilt like border with smaller pictures inside it. And then a full page picture opposite the words. Two stanzas that I really like are: "She heard the Indians trusted him;/ He knew the things they knew:/ Which plants would heal or make a meal,/ Which streams ran clear and true./ He walked all trails and heard all tales;/ His orchards spread and grew,/ And where he went the deep, rich scent/ Of apple blossoms blew." I love the poem and the pictures in this one, and if you want more of who the man behind the legend is, this is likely your best book. 

Will Moses:

I really liked the one by Will Moses. It has great pictures and is written well. But it is for older kids. My 6 year old has a good attention span (listens to chapter books by like Roald Dahl and the Hobbit) but he asked me to stop about half way through. He liked it so far and wants to finish it but definitely too many words per page and too long in general for toddlers. I think it's good for starting in lower elementary grades but perhaps in chunks for K-1.