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True Tale of Johnny Appleseed
Relates the story of the man who traveled west planting apple seeds to make the country a better place to live
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
1 person is currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Hodges
72 books54 followersMargaret "Peggy" Hodges was an American writer of books for children.
She was born Sarah Margaret Moore in Indianapolis, Indiana to Arthur Carlisle and Annie Marie Moore. She enrolled at Tudor Hall, a college preparatory school for girls. A 1932 graduate of Vassar College, she arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband Fletcher Hodges Jr. when in 1937 he became curator at the Stephen Foster Memorial. She trained as a librarian at Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, under Elizabeth Nesbitt, and she volunteered as a storyteller at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Beginning in 1958 with One Little Drum, she wrote and published more than 40 books.
Her 1985 book Saint George and the Dragon, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, won the Caldecott Medal of the American Library Association.
She was a professor of library science at the University of Pittsburgh, where she retired in 1976.
Hodges died of heart disease on December 13, 2005 at her home in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. She suffered from Parkinson's disease.
She wrote her stories on a notepad or a typewriter. "I need good ideas, and they don't come out of machines," she once said.
She was born Sarah Margaret Moore in Indianapolis, Indiana to Arthur Carlisle and Annie Marie Moore. She enrolled at Tudor Hall, a college preparatory school for girls. A 1932 graduate of Vassar College, she arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband Fletcher Hodges Jr. when in 1937 he became curator at the Stephen Foster Memorial. She trained as a librarian at Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, under Elizabeth Nesbitt, and she volunteered as a storyteller at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Beginning in 1958 with One Little Drum, she wrote and published more than 40 books.
Her 1985 book Saint George and the Dragon, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, won the Caldecott Medal of the American Library Association.
She was a professor of library science at the University of Pittsburgh, where she retired in 1976.
Hodges died of heart disease on December 13, 2005 at her home in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. She suffered from Parkinson's disease.
She wrote her stories on a notepad or a typewriter. "I need good ideas, and they don't come out of machines," she once said.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 12, 2022
His real name was Johnny Chapman.
April 4, 2018
I thought this was a great book that did a great job talking about who Johnny Appleseed was, what his mission was, and everything that he accomplished throughout his life. This would be a great book to read on Johnny Appleseed Day. This would be a great book to have in my future classroom!
September 29, 2021
A great fall story to go along with apple picking in the United States. This book was more realistic and focused on the man who inspired the legends. We enjoyed it, but it was a little slower paced for my kids to really get into.
December 6, 2017
Such a wonderful story about Johnny Appleseed and his mission. This would be perfect in a lesson for Johnny Appleseed day! He illustrations are wonderful!
February 9, 2019
We have read several picture books about Johnny Appleseed. This is a beautiful one, with very nice pictures.
February 22, 2021
Ohio and U.S. History
June 13, 2024
Very interesting and well illustrated book about Johnny Appleseed.
May 4, 2020
I listened to this book with my grands as part of our Apple Unit to earn an Apple badge through Quest. We enjoyed the story and learned a lot! It was a great addition to our unit!
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November 6, 2016Title: The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed
Author: Margaret Hodges
Illustrator: Kimberly Bulcken Root
Genre: Legend
Theme(s): apples, journey, children, determination, helpful
Opening line/sentence: “Johnny Chapman was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, in 1744.”
Brief Book Summary: All Johnny Chapman wanted to do was plant apple trees in the wilderness. He became similar to one of the animals, planting apple seeds along the way, and the children named him “Johnny Appleseed.” Johnny Appleseed died in the cold winter, but his apple trees lived on.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Adele Mujal (Children's Literature) This is a lovely version of an eccentric bit of American history. The text describes a man with a different outlook on life--a man who believed that other creatures have just as much right to be on the earth as humans. Johnny Appleseed lived his life true to his philosophy; he carried news between the settled East and the newly settled West and planted groves of apple trees in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Every other page presents a full-page illustration closely related to the text, and the paragraphs on the facing pages are decorated with more beautiful artwork. Johnny Appleseed became a legend and left a legacy that is still remembered and enjoyed. The author says some people thought he was crazy, but this book emphasizes the good he did.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, July 1997 (Vol. 93, No. 21)) In this picture book, Hodges tells the story of Johnny Appleseed: his Massachusetts childhood, his westward wandering, his devotion to God, his idiosyncratic appearance and habits, his kindness to all, and his planting and care of apple trees. Red apples glow as bright as rubies against the gentler shades of blue, green, and tan that dominate the line-and-watercolor illustrations. In the larger pictures, Root makes effective use of unusual partial borders, which begin as a frame for each full-page painting with a small motif related to the whole, and then gradually become part of the larger composition as the structured border fades away. It's sometimes difficult to tell fact from legend within the story, and the author's note, though helpful in this regard, is concerned with placing Johnny Appleseed in the context of his times rather than providing source notes or verification of details. From a pure storytelling point, however, the text has a fine, seamless quality, and the readers will find it a most appealing choice.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Adele Mujal was spot on by saying how this book does an amazing job of portraying all the good Johnny Appleseed did in the world and how he still has a huge impact on the world. As Carolyn Phelan states, the illustrations are breathtaking, with so much attention to detail and it truly makes the text come alive. There is also a lot of different attention to borders, every picture has a different size border and each picture has such a different shape and size. I do agree when Carolyn Phelan states that it is hard deciphering fact from legend because the author is constantly switching back and forth and added facts throughout.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The plot is very intricate in the story because Johnny Appleseed accomplished so much throughout his life and did so many things. The setting was constantly changing considering Johnny Appleseed traveled for the entirety of the story. Although, all of his actions were related to one another, toward the end of the legend it ended very fast and the details became hazy, most likely because the story ended in a death. There was not a lot of character development throughout the story; Johnny Appleseed always stayed true to his traditional, selfless ways no matter what people thought of him.
Consideration of Instructional Application: An activity I would do with this book would be teaching about planting. I would have the students plant a seed, learn how to take care of it and watch it grow into a tree or plant. It would be something that the students work on taking care of and understand the importance of care taking to see the final result of hard work. I would also talk about taking care of yourself and your friends, as Johnny Appleseed always did to the people around him.
Author: Margaret Hodges
Illustrator: Kimberly Bulcken Root
Genre: Legend
Theme(s): apples, journey, children, determination, helpful
Opening line/sentence: “Johnny Chapman was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, in 1744.”
Brief Book Summary: All Johnny Chapman wanted to do was plant apple trees in the wilderness. He became similar to one of the animals, planting apple seeds along the way, and the children named him “Johnny Appleseed.” Johnny Appleseed died in the cold winter, but his apple trees lived on.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Adele Mujal (Children's Literature) This is a lovely version of an eccentric bit of American history. The text describes a man with a different outlook on life--a man who believed that other creatures have just as much right to be on the earth as humans. Johnny Appleseed lived his life true to his philosophy; he carried news between the settled East and the newly settled West and planted groves of apple trees in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Every other page presents a full-page illustration closely related to the text, and the paragraphs on the facing pages are decorated with more beautiful artwork. Johnny Appleseed became a legend and left a legacy that is still remembered and enjoyed. The author says some people thought he was crazy, but this book emphasizes the good he did.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, July 1997 (Vol. 93, No. 21)) In this picture book, Hodges tells the story of Johnny Appleseed: his Massachusetts childhood, his westward wandering, his devotion to God, his idiosyncratic appearance and habits, his kindness to all, and his planting and care of apple trees. Red apples glow as bright as rubies against the gentler shades of blue, green, and tan that dominate the line-and-watercolor illustrations. In the larger pictures, Root makes effective use of unusual partial borders, which begin as a frame for each full-page painting with a small motif related to the whole, and then gradually become part of the larger composition as the structured border fades away. It's sometimes difficult to tell fact from legend within the story, and the author's note, though helpful in this regard, is concerned with placing Johnny Appleseed in the context of his times rather than providing source notes or verification of details. From a pure storytelling point, however, the text has a fine, seamless quality, and the readers will find it a most appealing choice.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Adele Mujal was spot on by saying how this book does an amazing job of portraying all the good Johnny Appleseed did in the world and how he still has a huge impact on the world. As Carolyn Phelan states, the illustrations are breathtaking, with so much attention to detail and it truly makes the text come alive. There is also a lot of different attention to borders, every picture has a different size border and each picture has such a different shape and size. I do agree when Carolyn Phelan states that it is hard deciphering fact from legend because the author is constantly switching back and forth and added facts throughout.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The plot is very intricate in the story because Johnny Appleseed accomplished so much throughout his life and did so many things. The setting was constantly changing considering Johnny Appleseed traveled for the entirety of the story. Although, all of his actions were related to one another, toward the end of the legend it ended very fast and the details became hazy, most likely because the story ended in a death. There was not a lot of character development throughout the story; Johnny Appleseed always stayed true to his traditional, selfless ways no matter what people thought of him.
Consideration of Instructional Application: An activity I would do with this book would be teaching about planting. I would have the students plant a seed, learn how to take care of it and watch it grow into a tree or plant. It would be something that the students work on taking care of and understand the importance of care taking to see the final result of hard work. I would also talk about taking care of yourself and your friends, as Johnny Appleseed always did to the people around him.
February 16, 2017
Not such a fan of the illustrations, but I do like the straightforward story.
February 24, 2016
This is a sweet story about a man who made is way across America, spreading love, joy and stories about God. Everywhere he went he would plant apple seeds and talk to people about being good and kind and all about his love for heaven. He was a true gentleman and was selfless and giving towards everybody he met.
I think that this is a very good, historical book. It does a good job of telling his story and even includes some historical facts in the back of the book. I loved reading this book.
This would be perfect to use in the classroom to not only teach American history but also to teach good values, such as being selfless, giving and thoughtful towards others.
I think that this is a very good, historical book. It does a good job of telling his story and even includes some historical facts in the back of the book. I loved reading this book.
This would be perfect to use in the classroom to not only teach American history but also to teach good values, such as being selfless, giving and thoughtful towards others.
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November 25, 2014This is a wonderful tail if a man back in the pioneer days. it tells a unique story about a unique man. It is a well written book that keeps the reader interested in what happens next. The illustration by Kimberly Root are well done. they are not the greatest but they are interesting and go well with the story.
October 6, 2015
A biography of Johnny Appleseed's life, this book was very informative and had great illustrations that just capture you as a reader. I could read this book to my class and know they would stay interested in the book and its content. I recommend this book as a read aloud for the classroom but also as an addition to your classroom library.
March 26, 2016
No one can really tell a 'true' 100% real story of these men (and women) who are our tall tales legends. This story of Johnny Appleseed are a little different than others I've read. This one includes his time with the Indians. It tells of how kind he was to the animals like not taking honey unless he knew the bees had enough for themselves, etc. This version was a nice one to read.
September 16, 2015
I find this story great to have in the classroom because it is short and sweet and to the point of Johnny Appleseed's life. The illustrations could have been more detailed, but they did a good job of bringing this biography to life.
November 15, 2015
I think this is a good book to have in the classroom because the story of Johnny Appleseed is something that students should be familiar with. This is a simple read that tells how Johnny Appleseed came about.
August 15, 2007
This book is beautiful, sweet, and definitely magical. Read it and weep! I did, anyway! :)
August 10, 2016
One of my childhood heroes. Lovely biography.
(She was a children's librarian and wrote for young people.)
(She was a children's librarian and wrote for young people.)
November 22, 2011
3 and a half. Simple recap of the life of a favorite hero of American folklore.
August 25, 2012
Simple retelling of the classic American folk hero:) Steven Kellogg's version is also excellent.
December 4, 2012
This was a short and simple recap of the all american hero. The book was short and to the point. However, it did not leave out any necessary detail! I would put this book in my classroom!
June 2, 2014
Loosely biographical tale.
September 18, 2014
Yet another version of John Chapman's life, on the border of too long for a read aloud, with a spiritual flavor at the end. Author's note puts story into historical perspective.
October 26, 2015
Not too long, not too short, and quite readable.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews