The Apple King

I really like this book. It teaches about sharing and is a good story.

The children in my Sunday School chose this book to read and demonstrate for their participation in an adult church service. The theme of the story, sharing, is told in a fun manner (a selfish king and a brave worm) and the ending is not only happy, but the lesson, there is real joy in sharing, is clear.The children really liked and laughed with some of the story lines as outlandish things were done to save the apples from the worms. The one thing they did not like were the pictures in the book. All characters are illustrated as animals and the king is a pig. These are children in 2nd grade. (On the other hand, my 3 year old liked the pictures, but I'm not sure she understood the message.)Overall, I believe the book gives a great message within a funny story.

We've all heard of King Midas and what befell him because of his penchant for gold. Now, make way for The Apple King, an old. old ruler who had a magnificent apple tree that bore the tastiest fruit in all of his kingdom. Why, he was so proud of those apples that no one else was allowed to touch them. Anyone else even thinking of tasting one would probably be grounds for beheading. Pity the poor king's gardener when he discovered an unsightly hole in one of these prize apples. Surely not a worm! Not one worm but worms. Stubborn worms who wouldn't leave even for a bag of gold. Faced with such a catastrophe the mighty ruler learned a lesson in sharing; he learned the joy of spreading happiness. There's a lesson for youngsters in this ripe, juicy tale beautifully illustrated in sun-washed colors.