Johnny Appleseed

by Walt Disney Company

Recounts legends about Johnny Appleseed, including his friendship with the wild animals, his cooking pot hat, and the thousands of apple trees he planted on the trails West

Genres: Childrens

43 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Note: The decision was made to consolidate all Disney publications under the name Walt Disney Company. This profile is for Walt Disney, the characters he created, and the company he founded. Any questions, please ask in the Librarian's Group.

Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.

Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.

Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.

The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.

--from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Kaci Beesecker]

This book explains the legacy Johnny Appleseed left. He's an apple farmer who sees people going west and thinks he can't join them, until an angel appears to him and sings the virtues of apples, convincing Johnny he has a mission. He gives and plants apples everywhere he goes and soon all you can see everywhere you look are apple trees. He keeps doing that until his final day on earth when all seems to be good and he believes the trees will continue to grow without him.

There are many activities that can be done for this book, and it could even differentiate depending on the age group you teach. For younger students, you could bring in apples of different colors and use them to help them count and separate them into the correct colors. For upper elementary, you could teach them about the parts of an apple and have them plant their own seeds for trees to grow.

[Alana Walters]

Johnny Appleseed is a story about a boy who sets off to help others who come from far away lands by planting apple trees. Johnny doesn't know who these new people are but he still wants to give his wonderful apple trees to them for strong land and good food to go their way. He continues to plant his trees until he passes away.

I would use this book less often than other books only due to the passing of Johnny at the end but the lesson is a really good one in this book. Even if you don't know someone or where they come from it is always good to help those in need or that are struggling. Students could use this lesson to help other classmates that are struggling in the classroom.

[Alyson Carroll]

Johnny Appleseed was a young, hardworking boy who loved to plant apple trees. One day, his guardian angel told him to head west and plant apple trees. Johnny listened and packed up his Bible and appleseeds. For the rest of his life, Johnny wandered the entire west planting appleseeds everywhere people settled. This story has a deeper meaning to it, so I would use that in my classroom to see if my students could figure it out.

[Kaitlin Niedert]

This book is about a boy named Johnny Appleseed. This book is about him and shows how hardworking he was and how he loved to plant apple trees. One day, his guardian angel told him to head west and plant apple trees so Johnny listened and packed up his Bible and appleseeds. For the rest of his life, Johnny wandered the entire west planting appleseeds everywhere people settled. This would be a great book for lower elementary because they can hear and learn about hard work and passions.

[Emily Knickerbocker]

Johnny Chapman lived in New England, and everyone, including the animals, loved him. One day he has an offer to go west and be a pioneer. Johnny is unsure, but his guardian angel tells him to go and plant the apple seed, and Johnny sets off. I would have my student write a journal about Johnny and how his adventure went.

[Allison Ster]

I really liked this book because it's a fun way to teach students about Johnny Apple Seed and his love for nature. It's also a good story to teach about how a story can become fictional over time and how different people tell the same story in many ways!

[Kylee Champlin]

Johnny Appleseed is a traditional literature book that was been passed down for years about a boy named Johnny Chapman that is very in-touch with nature. Johnny becomes very good with planting apple trees, hence the name.

[Nevaeh James]

This book is about a man who learns how to grow apple trees, and he goes all around the United States planting trees for the people. I would use this book to support a science lesson about growing fruits/vegetables.

[Tara Dryml]

This story follows Johnny Chapman who is known for planting apple trees where ever he went, hence his new name Johnny Appleseed.

[Madison]

The story of Johnny Appleseed, tells about a boy who loved planting apple trees. When more and more people started moving west he wasn't sure about going with them. But he went and planted lots of apple seeds along the way. The book goes through his life and eventually him dying and going to heaven to plant more apple trees there.

[Jessica]

Johnny Appleseed is a young farmer who desperately wants to go west along the Ohio River. However, he has a farm to tend to at home leaving him discouraged and confused. He is soon greeted by an angel who inspires him to head west and plant apple seeds everywhere he goes. When Johnny agrees and heads on his journey west he meets new animal friends that make his trip worth while. With only seeds in his pocket, a Bible in his pocket, and a pot on his head, Johnny is ready for an adventure of a lifetime. This book is filled with wonderful excitement that everyone can enjoy!

[Jill Wolf]

Traditional Literature #17
This book is about a boy named Johnny Chapman who planted apple seeds as he went west across the United States. An "angel" approached him and told him that people would be needing apples when they moved west and he was the right guy for the job. He started his journey out west with nothing but a bag of seeds, a book, and a pan. He didn't even have shoes. He even warned some settlers about an attack of the Indians that was going to happen. He planted appleseeds until the day that he died.

[Alicia Lawrence]

Johnny Appleseed is a farmer who planted seeds as he traveled west along the Ohio River. An angel approaches him, telling him that there are people who will need the apples as he goes west. Johnny starts his journey with very little items and without shoes on his feet. Johnny's journey west is full of excitement.

[Cws]

OSDIS

[Casey Zarr]

A great read for a younger reader, elementary age, with Johnny Appleseed. He goes about on many different events through his day and has to overcome adversity.