The Story of Johnny Appleseed

by Aliki

The classic story of legendary American pioneer Johnny Appleseed.

John Chapman lived in the frontier in Massachusetts. But when he decided to travel west, wearing a cooking pot on his head and planting apple trees wherever he went, he became known by a new Johnny Appleseed. Experience the tale of this American legend through this beautifully illustrated picture book by Aliki.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Childrens, History, Biography Memoir, Plants, American History

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1963

About the author

Aliki has written and illustrated many books, both fiction and nonfiction, loved by readers throughout the world. The books were inspired by a word, an experience, or the desire to find out. Aliki lives in London, England.

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's bibliography intended for readers ages 4-8. This is a story about a man from Matchetussets named John Chapman who lived during the great move west and the pioneering days of the United States. During his walk west on bare feet, he met Indian and pioneer alike and with nothing but apple seeds in a sack and a pot on his head he planted those seeds and helped others build a homestead and plant so that all could enjoy natures candy. The book goes on to explain the quality of peace and kindness that John expressed and that he was friends with everyone, even the animals. Every other turn of the page you are met with full-color depictions of John's journey where not a single space is without color whereas the rest of the book is done in contrast black and white photo drawings. the drawings work hand in hand with the story and the language is such that it is easily understandable to the intended audience and the word convey just enough to help the picture tell the story. I gave this a four-star rating because of the qualities the main character displayed, the alternating and contrasting illustrations, and the simple but legendary story of Mr. Johnny Appleseed. This is one of those great books that children cant help but to enjoy even if they cant explain why. I also find that this book would be beneficial to a classroom not only for entertainment but for a segway into science (Earth science), or social studies or even history. the lesson could even be about the relations between Indians and Americans during that time period.

[Holly Iman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, "The Story of Johnny Appleseed" by Aliki, is a biography/autobiography that is intended for ages 4-8. This story is about Johnny Appleseed and how he was a man who planted many apple trees and became known for it. I gave this book four stars because the illustrations had lots of color and portrayed a good view of the story. The characters each had their own effect on the story, such as Johnny himself, who brought all the trees to be created. Also, the ending of how the Indians saved his life was very heartwarming. This story would be good to use to teach children this: as Johnny tried to create, peace should always be because we shouldn't hate... we should show love despite our differences. When child read about how the Indians helped Johnny by taking care of him, it will be a great example of how we should always lend a hand to people in need. With this issue of racism, this will show children that race should not matter. Johnny was white, and the people that saved him were Native American. Since racism is still an issue in our society, this will show should kids that the Indians were still kind to Johnny, despite their differences.

[Brandy Mcdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story of Johnny Appleseed written by Aliki is a biography written for children. The book is intended for children grades kindergarten through 3rd. The story tells his real name, John Chapman. He is a gentle pioneer and how he got his nickname by planting apple trees all across the land. He began to collect apple seeds to plant rows and rows of apple trees. Along the way he met and befriended many people. The illustrations alternate between bright and colorful and there are also black and white as well. The illustrations were simple and went very well with the rhythm of the story. This is a great book for elementary education, because the variations of the illustrations capture the attention of young audiences. I can imagine a great classroom activity around the story, making home made apple sauce. I also think this could be a way to introduce biographies to children and get hem interested in writing a biography as some the want to know more information about.

[Mason Hazelwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun child friendly read about the life and legacy of Johnny Appleseed. As we learn throughout the book that he was a generous man and peacemaker with a love for doing good. He gave apple seeds to all people he encountered regardless of their race. He traveled alone and helped pioneers and helped keep peace with the Indians. Overtime he was able to help grow many many apple trees due to his kindness. He even befriended the animals he encountered. The pictures are very child friendly and contain some sketched like images with a lot of primary colors and greens. One page that I liked was the one where you could see all of his trees grown from afar. To use this I would read it to kids 5-8 and have them think of an act of kindness they could do to help make an impact on others, and teach them about other impactful people in history as well.

[Kathryn Jaeger]

The story of Johnny Appleseed is a story which tells about a man, John Chapman. As the story is told he is a simple man who traveled across many states planting apple seeds along his travels. It is said that he helped many pioneers clear their land and gave everyone apple seeds to plant. John was known for telling children his stories of adventures. He befriended all people and tried to make peace between the Indians and the settlers. Many people attribute the many apple trees to the travels of John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed

[Kecha Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is really cool. My godson loved reading this for English class. Now the homework not too much but the story held his attention and he did enjoy the story. he likes learning about what to do with seeds. and how he went everywhere on foot and was meeting new people. he was even sad when he got sick but got happy when he was saved by the Indians who were his friends to help him out. This is a good story for 2nd grades once again.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as a side read to the month's discussion of Steven Kellogg, I checked out this, by another popular author. It doesn't mention the War of 1812 at all. It is, iirc, roughly the same length as Kellogg's, but not as lively. Many of the same events match, but there's no wrasslin' in Aliki's gentle tale. The Indians are generic & probably not accurate, but are treated respectfully.

[Westin Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading this book it was fun and engaging getting to learn about Johnny Appleseed. You were able to understand his story and to gather how fun and unique it is. This book was a fun read and it was interesting to see all of the different paths he crossed on his journey while planting.

[Evelyn Slinkard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Evie enjoyed the high contrast art. But the message wasn’t good. I will be having conversations with her about colonization and the genocide of the Natives, this book is not bc a good representation of that history

[Emily Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for use in younger classrooms.

[Everett Armbruster · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 Johnny Appleseed was my favorite character.
2 I was surprised that he was a good friend to everybody
3 No I would not change the ending

[Maddie Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography. Recommend to ages 4-8!

[Kathy Brower · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story of a simple man who lived an extraordinary life.

[Bryce Hall]

This book is about the pioneer Johnny Appleseed. Previously known as John Chapman he began planting apple trees and became known as Johnny Appleseed.

[Keegan Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
Grade: K-3
This is the story of a man who planted a bunch of different apple tree all across of america. I really enjoyed the reminder of this book because I read it when I was a kid. I would love to have it in my classroom.

[Jeani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely and pleasant book. I've always been a fan of Johnny Appleseed and this book is a fun way for children to learn about him.

[Brianna Nance · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an engaging book that allows students to learn about Johnny Appleseed. You were able to understand his story and find out what makes him the person he is. You get to learn about what he is known for. It is interesting to see all of the different paths he crossed on his planting journey.

[Nathaniel Mccombs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Story of Johnny Appleseed, written and illustrated by Aliki is about a generous man (Johnny Chapman) who loved and was fascinated with nature and apples. He lived on the frontier in Massachusetts but once all of the settlers started leaving to move west, he followed but not in the same manner. Chapman walked barefooted and carried no weapons; all Chapman carried was apples and apple seeds. As Chapman traveled west he would plant apple seeds across the country. Also, Chapman visited and helped pioneer settlements and Indian villages for weeks at a time on his journey to the west. As he arrived at the various villages he would hand out sacks of apple seeds; as a result the pioneers and Indians started to call him Johnny Appleseed. Appleseed tried to stop inevitable fights between pioneers and Indians, this didn’t stop the fights but he gained respect from both sides. Johnny even made friends with bears, deer and other animals along his way. Until a vicious prolonged winter struck the United States, Johnny became ill and collapsed. Eventually Johnny was picked up by Indians who saved him.

This is a great take on Johnny Appleseed. This book is very informational and has great illustrations that enhance the text. The illustrations alternate from color and black and white throughout the book. The illustrations with color are very bright, stimulating and refreshing. The black and white illustrations are very surreal; these give the reader a sense of seriousness as the color refreshes the reader. The color illustrations are awesome. My favorites are the drawings of the frontier and the sketches of him feeding his animal friends. The cover art has a bright yellow background which would attract any future reader’s attention. The cover also displays Aliki’s genre of illustrations. Also the cover has a picture of Johnny Appleseed which depicts/foreshadows exactly who he is. The title page foreshadows the black and white photos. When I first saw this I thought the entire book wasn’t in color; Aliki kind of tricks the reader with this.

I would recommend this book for a read aloud or for a third to fifth grade independent reader. This is a great book with a lot of information but I think there are other books I would rather have in my classroom. Every library should acquire this story of Johnny Appleseed. Aliki’s text and illustrations enhance each other and would keep any child’s attention. Lastly, this book could leave readers wanting to know more about Johnny Appleseed or his era of existence.

[Maggie Cheesman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story of Johnny Appleseed starts with the description of Johnny Appleseed, his real name is John Chatman. John spent a lot of time outside and he realized if someone planted apple seeds, then the land would be filled with apple trees. He lived in Massachusetts. John went with other pioneers to go to new land, instead of driving with them, he walked. As he walked, he planted apple seeds and this is where he got his nickname of "Johnny Appleseed". He made a lot of friends on his trip and no matter how far he travelled, he always went back to see his friends. He would tell his story about his adventures to all of the children he walked through the towns. Johnny Appleseed met many different animals throughout his journey. Johnny became friends with all walks of life throughout his journey. There was one long winter and Johnny couldn't eat or sleep because there was snow and frost all of his apple seeds. Johnny Appleseed fell down because he was very ill from his lack of sleep and food. A native american walked by and saw Johnny Appleseed and helped him and nursed him back to health. Spring has finally sprung and Johnny Appleseed woke up and felt much better. His trees continued to grow and he said that they were his gift from him to the people he met throughout his journey.
The illustrations in The Story of Johnny Appleseed were very good. I think the illustrations helped tell the story and helped me stay interested throughout the book. They were detailed when describing the different types of people and animals Johnny met on his journey. The illustrations were very detailed and I think they could tell the story without reading the whole book. The illustrations depicted Johnny Appleseed and the many different parts of his journey. My favorite illustration is the drawing that is describing the winter. I think this helps the students understand how intense the winter was and how it effected Johnny Appleseed and his trees.
I think this book is perfect for kindergarten through second grade students who are learning about Johnny Appleseed. It describes his life in a quick fashion while showing illustrations that will help the students understand his hardships. I think the students will find this an easy read and they will be very interested while reading it.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story about a pioneer named Johnny Appleseed who walked all across the country. One day he sat down beside a tree and ate an apple and, he only left the seeds in his hand. He had the thought that he could travel around giving out and planting apple seeds and the country would be filled with apple trees. Johnny never met a stranger or an enemy. He made friends with the Indians, bears, and everyone else and everything he came across. He would give everyone seeds and help them plant them as well and, he always remembered the people he met and would visit them. One day he got sick and the Indians were friendly to him in return and helped save his life. One simple man started with a big dream of making the land populous with apple trees by passing out seeds and, he kept going until it was done.

I really liked the illustrations located throughout this book. One of the best features of the book is how the pages alternate from black and white to color from the beginning until the end. The colorful pages bring a lot more meaning to the story, showing the bright and cheery personality of Johnny. The drawings appeared simple but were highly detailed! Character moods were always evident by the expressions on their faces; the words could have been taken off many of the pages and the reader could have seen and understood what was going on in the story.

I would recommend this story as a great read aloud for first or second graders. Class discussion can get into the various cultures introduced throughout the book and, a lot more can be taken from the story. Highly recommended!

[Joshua Cummins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story embarks us all on the many adventures of John Chapman. He traveled west as did most pioneers back in that day did, but he walked in his bare feet carrying only a large sack on his back full of apple seeds and his cooking pan on his head. John was very friendly and gave apple seeds to everyone he knew to plant. This is how he got the name Johnny Appleseed. He told stories to children, slept out doors with deer and foxes and wolves, played with young bear cubs, and even made peace between the settlers and Indians. Apple trees were beginning to fill the land and Johnny was happy. That is until one year when spring did not come and frost set in on all his apple trees. He was worried about them and found it hard to sleep. He became very ill and was found lying on the ground by and Indian mother and her son who carried him to their village not far away where he was nursed and given medicine by the Indians. When Johnny was cured, he woke to find that it was spring again and he was happy again because he knew his trees would continue to grow and prosper. One interesting note about the illustrations is that the pages alternate from being in color to black and white. At first I do not understand the purpose of this but at the end I understand that the colorful pictures are used to show growth and happiness as some black and white drawings are used to show frost, death, and illness. I would say this book would be suitable to read to very young children, maybe as young as first grade.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a man named John Chapman. He loved to be out doors with all the plants and animals. One day he was walking and decided he needed to rest. He pulled an apple from his bag and ate it till nothing but the seeds were left. This gave him the idea to save them and plant them. John collected so many seeds that his bag became completely full! He started planting them and giving them to other people as he travelled. Soon, everyone was planting the seeds and many trees began to grow. Along the journey, John made many friends and would go back to visit them. He even became friends with the Indians which was not common for white men to do. He liked to keep peace and therefore carried no weapons. All he kept with him was his bag of seeds and pan for cooking. A long winter came a John had nowhere to stay to keep warm and nothing to eat so he became very sick and passed out in the snow. Hours later an Indian woman and her son found him. They brought him back to their village and nursed him back to health. John lived many years after and continued to plant more trees, some of which can still be seen today.
The illustrations of this book are beautiful. Even the cover of the book draws you in with it's bright and vibrant yellow background. As you read through the book, the pages alternate between color and black and white. Even without color, the pictures have interest and the simplicity of the design makes it easy to look at. I read this to a two year old and he loved it. It's a very fun and whimsical art style that all ages can love.

[Leah Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of Johnny Appleseed is well told but nothing about it really stood out to me. It moves along the life of John Chapman becoming Johnny Appleseed fairly quickly but with many parts and details. John Chapman one day begins to collect and plant apple seeds in the land of Massachusetts, walking across the land and meeting new people as he gave them bags of apple seeds to plant- he became known as Johnny Appleseed. Throughout the story you also learn about Johnny Appleseed’s ideas of life and see him have unusual acquaintances with bears and the Indians. As Johnny Appleseed gets sick one winter the Indian take care of him till he is better in the spring. This story of Johnny Appleseed is a good book about being friends with your neighbor and helping others.
This story of Johnny Appleseed is also a good mix between words and pictures. There are more words on each page and the illustrations only depict a specific part of the passage you read. The illustrations are color every other spread of pages and black and white the others, if there is some significance to that I did not figure it out. However, I enjoyed the colored illustrations and I enjoyed the motion and progression of the illustrations with the story; Of Johnny Appleseed walking, and the apple trees forming.
Although it is not my favorite book, I would have this in my classroom.

[Samantha Mcdowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book for young children who have no idea who Johnny Appleseed is. It tells of his real name, John Chapman, a gentle pioneer and how he got his nickname. I would use this book with 1st and 2nd graders because it is a really basic story of this man and is a short book that wouldn't be hard for them to understand.
The illustrations are my favorite part of this book. The words to a nice job of relaying the story, but these pictures will draw kids in. The cover is of Johnny Appleseed eating an apple and he looks exactly as he is described, nice, gentle, and loved by children. I actually remember reading this book in elementary school. I didnt recognize it by the title or the author, but as soon as I saw the cover I had a flashback and remembered the book. The pictures inside aren't fancy, they are actually pretty simply drawn, but they are 2 page spreads and use great color and display the people and woods well. I like that some of the pages are in black and white and others are in color. I don't know the reasoning behind which ones got to be colorful and which ones were not.
I think this would make a good read aloud to learn about this man, but I also think it is written well enough that young readers could pick it up and begin to read it on their own as well.

[Connie Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Story of Johnny Appleseed" is a fascinating story of how America began to be so abundant with apple trees. It speaks of a man who walks across the earth, barefoot, with a pot on his head. To most people this man would appear to be very awkward, but everyone loved him. He did not carry weapons like most did, and only carried a bag of apple seeds across his back. He would hand out the seeds to everyone he met, and they would then plant these seeds. From this he became known as "Johnny Appleseed". Johnny Appleseed had many friends across the land, and this prosperity and kindness ends up saving his life when an Indian tribe saves him after falling in the snow.

The illustrations in this novel have a distinct pattern which is very unique compared to most books. Every other page is black and white, while each page in between in full of color. At first this bothered me, but as I continued reading, I began to appreciate the color pages much more and noticed how much I loved the pages containing color. Overall, there is not much plot to this story, but it serves a purpose of teaching the story of apple trees. A teacher could incorporate this story in her classroom by making a giant tree and having the kids make apples to put in it.

[Jessica Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summery- This is the story about a man who made American History by planting apple trees all across the land. The story of Johnny Appleseed depicts the life of John Chapman and his devotion to planting the trees that he thinks is so important.
Text- The text in this story is very easy to read and would be appropriate for all ages of students. I think the text goes a long with the time period in which this story was set, so it is very rich in detail.
Illustrations-The illustrations are very good in this book, they are fun and interactive for the students that worked with the text in order to create a more engaging story for the students.
How would I use this in my classroom?- This is a great and fun read a loud for younger students, but since this is not the "true" story of Johnny Appleseed, I would save this book for 5th grade students over a social studies unit, and have the students use their researching skills in the computer lab to learn about the truth of Johnny Appleseed. This book will give me a good starting point to the unit, and to have an open discussion of how this book could be a true story or a false story.

[Madison Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki has a bright yellow cover showing a friendly man with a knapsack and apple. The cover shows the audience what the book will be about and let us know it will be a happy story. The story begins with Johnny Chapman on a long walk eating an apple and taking a rest. While taking a rest he plants the seeds to become an apple tree. He then has the idea to continue to plant the seeds then the land would be filled with apple trees. Johnny makes a journey across the United States where he meets many friends and plants many apple seeds. As time goes on and the seasons change, Johnny begins to get very sick. That winter he gets sick the apple trees get sick as well. Spring arrives and they both begin to feel better. I liked the inside illustrations because they switched from black and white to color. All illustrations had great details and showed the story well. I especially liked the back cover with the beautiful apple tree. I enjoyed this story and Johnny's journey. I think it would be great to read aloud to a class and then to do activity using apples. It would also work well for Earth Day.

[Emily McCracken · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki, is the story of how John Chapman became Johnny Appleseed. He began to collect appleseeds to plant rows and rows of apple trees. Along the way he met and befriended many people.
The illustration were also done by Aliki. We can tell that it is an old story by the way the illustrations are done. The edges of the painted images are very rigid and the illustrations of things such as the houses are very flat. I think that the older looking images add to the story though because it is an old story. Most people know, or have at least heard of Johnny Appleseed. Another interesting illustration element that I found neither helped nor hindered the book, but made it different than most books, is that every other page was done in black and white. I do not have any thoughts as to why Aliki would have his illustrations go back and forth between vibrant colors and black and white, but it was different and to me, memorable. It makes this book stand out against others.
The text and story is very simplistic, I would suggest it for beginner readers but it is a good story that will continue to be remembered for years to come.

[Claudia Margaroli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Story Of Johnny Appleseed (1963) written and illustrated by Aliki is a picture book that tells the tale of John Chapman. It is a simplified version, and I do question it’s historical accuracy; for example, the telling of his “friendship” with the animals and playing with bear cubs as their mother looked on. The tale is cute though and I think is an important one for children to hear, especially in today’s modern society where most time is spent inside. It is exciting to hear about a wilderness cross country adventure. It is also a great tale of friendship and peace between the Native Americans and Johnny as well as the bridge he built between them and other “white men”. The illustrations were color every other page which seemed meaningless and a shame as the colorful illustration really helped move the story. As a child reading this book or having it read to me I would be inspired to dig deeper into American history and our forefathers; so in that sense, this is a great educational starting point read.