John Chapman: The Man Who Was Johnny Appleseed

Rookie Biography

by Carol Greene

Relates how John Chapman's distribution of apple seeds and trees across America made him a legend

Genres: Biography

47 pages, Library Binding

First published October 1, 1991

About the author

Has degrees in English Literature and musicology. She has worked in international exchange programs, as an editor, and as a teacher of writing. Lives in Webster Groves, Missouri.

Reviews

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal reaction
This historical fiction book tells the story of Johnny Appleseed. I enjoyed the illustrations they used in this book. I thought they were engaging and a good addition to help the reader follow the historical context. It made the story more interesting rather than just facts about history.
Purpose in classroom
I would use this book to describe a historical fiction genre. This book contains actual historical claims about John Chapman however the dialogue is fictional because nobody really knows what he said. I would recommend this book to second through fifth graders. There are a few tricky vocabulary words such as “mosquitoes” and “orchard”. However there are illustrations every other page that helps the children visualize that the author is talking about. Literary elements that would be taught would be characterization. I would have the students describe the characteristics on John Chapman. For example I would want them to notice his tattered clothing, shoes and the way he helped people.

[Dundee Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent choice for a read aloud introduction to biographies for elementary students. Apples are a common choice for September topics and reads. Johnny Appleseed comes up often and there are many tall tales about his life. This book gives facts and dates about his life and is presented in a simple form biography. The concepts of "Table of Contents", indexes, and chronological order are presented in an easy to follow method. I would recommend this to all elementary grades as both an introduction in the early elementary and an example of "how to" write a biography for older students who might be required to write their own report or autobiography.

[Katie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a biography of John Chapman who is well know as Johnny Appleseed. I found this book to be very informative and I loved the pictures. This book can be used as to teach students about Johnny Appleseed's contribution to he apple industry today.

[Lib 5030 Group 5]

JBIO CHA

[Ashley]

Biography