Review by Booklist Review
PreS^-Gr. 1. The cover illustration of an apple-cheeked little girl looking up at apples ripe for picking invites children into this quiet, informative book about a favorite fruit. The text opens with a surprise: a picture of a decidedly wintry landscape accompanied by the words, "There are apples here." The next double-page spread clears up the mystery with a close-up of a tree with buds "waiting for spring." This declaration-explanation technique, repeated throughout, is an effective way to awaken children's interest in apples and give them a sense that there is much more in nature than immediately meets the eye. The bright colored-pencil artwork follows kids through a blossoming orchard, as they play in leafy trees during summer, and then to a farmer's market before showing the kinds and uses of apples. After this rich display, the book ends with a double spread of apple facts. Behind the science here, kids will find lessons on process, patience, discovery, and hope. --Connie Fletcher
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Apples crop up not only in orchards from Maine to Washington state, but also in the September curricula of thousands of elementary schools across the country. Here, just in time for the autumn harvest, is a colorful entry. The brief text is clear and informative enough to satisfy the very young and to stimulate questions from slightly older children. Pollination is not mentioned in the body of the book, but the blossoms are "waiting for bees" and a honeybee is shown in the heart of a flower. Two pages of detailed data on pollination, grafting, and apple/human history are appended. Luminous pencil drawings in sparkling reds, greens, blues, golds, and white follow apples from winter buds to apple pies, ending with deer enjoying windfalls in a late autumn orchard. Also portrayed in this rich cycle are children and adults enjoying blossoms and fruit in equal measure, from crunchy bites to soft applesauce on a Hanukkah latke, from cinnamony pie to juicy finds in a Christmas stocking. This welcome companion to Gail Gibbons's Apples (Holiday, 2000) and Zoe Hall's The Apple Pie Tree (Scholastic, 1996) is as glossy, crisp, and appealing as the subjects themselves.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The growth and use of apples is briefly described in this text for young readers. Instead of building momentum, the repeated refrain, There are apples here, has a tedious effect. Uninspired colored-pencil illustrations further mar the overall ambience of the book. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Hubbell (Pumpkin Jack, 2000) poses children and apple trees together in every season, and writes evocatively of the apple's annual cycle, from dormant winter bud to farmers' market and applesauce for latkes. "There are apples here, / hidden in buds and waiting for spring. / There are apples here / scenting the air and waiting for bees." Not much, but pleasant. The art doesn't measure up to the writing, however; facial features on his multicultural cast are often oddly placed, and the colors, especially reds and greens, have a harsh, unnatural cast. The extensive afterword is actually more valuable than the rest of the offering. Considering the plethora of same-topic titles available-Ken Robbins's Apples, for instance (p. 962)-this, though not really a bad apple, isn't likely to be a first pick. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
