Apple Farmer Annie

Pros: Colorful Bilingual Mentions more than one type of apple Recipes at the end Shows what you can make with apples: sauce, cider, etc. Cons: The pictures in the book are in English only Recipes in the end are in Spanish only

I was wonderfully surprised at how easy it was to find this book and the great condition it was in when I recieved it. I also was impressed with how affordable it was.

I chose this book from the library to compliment an apple unit I'm doing with my daughter (24 months). Of the stack of nine apple books I found, this is by far her favorite. Each page spread has about 10-15 words (two sentences) in large type. The pictures are colorful and bold. They are simple yet provide enough detail and variety that there are many opportunities for volcabulary growth and side discussions. There are three recipes included in the back of the book. They look delicious, but we haven't tried them (we will stick to healthier versions). The story line and illustrations are fairly realistic (no talking animals, etc.). My only complaint along these lines is that the entire story seems to take place in one day (harvesting, cooking, driving to town, selling at the market, and coming home), which is more than a bit ambitious. :) We have read this book aloud many, many times over the past week. Both of us are still enjoying it, and I have even found my daughter "reading" this book to her dolls.

This is a delightful book and sends an excellent message to young readers as well. I in fact do not think a children's book is required to have a message; it just needs to delight. But the message here is that hard work and being good at something is rewarding, and that's a pretty good message for a young reader to receive. Parents of both girls and boys will appreciate the main character's savvy, entrepreneurial qualities. The illustrations are lovely and bright without being too busy, and the tasty recipes at the end are and added treat. My now four year-old son has gone through two apple picking seasons with this book, and refers to "Apple Farmer Annie" as though she were one of his best pals. I highly recommend this book. Caveat: if you read it to your child in a season other than fall, or if you live someplace where apples don't grow, be prepared to handle the request to visit an orchard!

I am a preschool teacher and I picked this book out of the library because I was doing a unit on apples. The bright pictures and simple words attracted me to this book. The children in my class loved the book. They got so excited to find recipes in the back of the book. Of course we have already tried two to of them. I plan on buying the book to share with my future classes and my two little boys at home.