From Publishers Weekly
Johnny Appleseed himself narrates this tall tale of some winter adventures on the frontier with Nathaniel, his young half-brother from Massachusetts. Low on food, he leaves Nathaniel snug in the hollow sycamore tree that serves as home, and sets off in his canoe. A journey among ice floes leads to other dramatic incidents, among them an encounter with a wounded wolf. Upon his return, he meets some Indian braves, who, it turns out, have been helping Nathaniel. Glass's (Charles T. McBiddle) pleasing vernacular breathes atmosphere into his tale: when he meets the wolf, for example, she gives him a look full of "hatred and suspicion," but, says Appleseed John, "I personally have always been on the best of terms with God's wild creatures, and my name, it seems, is widely known among them." He matches the rough-hewn tone with oil paintings that have been scraped and drawn on. Their homespun, almost unfinished appearance notwithstanding, they express a variety of moods, and their energy rises to the level of Glass's dynamic subject. A substantial note on the life of John Chapman-a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed-concludes this robust volume. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2 Up?Glass retells, in the voice of John Chapman, a series of incidents relating to Appleseed John and his half-brother, Nathaniel, who joined him in western Pennsylvania at the age of 14 or 15. The embellished account comes from Robert Price's Johnny Appleseed (Peter Smith, 1954; o.p.), which quotes from William Glines's recollections (ca. 1922) of stories told to him by Chapman's brothers and sisters. John sets out by canoe for Fort Pitt to buy supplies for the winter, leaving his brother in the shelter of a hollow sycamore tree. Pulling his canoe atop an ice cake in order to rest, he falls asleep and floats far past the fort. When he returns weeks later with provisions, he finds that four Senecas have saved Nathaniel from freezing and taught him to hunt small game with bow and arrow. The action-packed, large-figured cartoon illustrations are done in oils in earth tones and turquoise. Young Appleseed has a rough, scuzzy, backwoods look, admitting in the text that he expects he "smelled worse than a wild pig" after his river adventure. The text presents him as a plain, sensible, religious man. A two-page endpaper map shows the region where this folk hero traveled. Three pages of biographical notes are appended. A good read-aloud with historical content that will make the tale useful in classrooms.?Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ages 6^-9. This entertaining picture book dramatizes the coming of young Nathaniel to live in a hollow tree in the wilderness with his older half-brother John, known to the folks thereabouts as Appleseed John (and to us as Johnny Appleseed). When fall turns to winter, the boy becomes cold and discontented, and he soon eats his way through their winter stores of dried fruit and nuts. John makes a dangerous journey down a partly frozen river to buy provisions. Delayed, he fears for Nathaniel's health and safety. He returns to find the boy surrounded by Indians, friendly Indians who have taught Nathaniel to survive in the wild. Although based on the factual record of John Chapman's life, the story is embellished with imagined events, scenes, and dialogue. It is written in the first person from John's point of view, which gives it a folksy, informal tone. Well-composed full-color illustrations heighten the drama and the humor of the story. A good choice for reading aloud to classes just back from the apple orchard. Carolyn Phelan
About the Author
Andrew Glass spent much of his childhood in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, not far from French Creek, where this story takes place. He has written and illustrated several books for children and illustrated many more, including larger Than Life by Robert San Souci, Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap! and She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain by Tom Birdseye, and the Spooky Books by Natalie Savage Carlson. Andrew Glass and his wife, Betty, split their time between New York City and Bologna, Italy.
