Who Was Johnny Appleseed?

There aren't enough books about Johnny Appleseed for the grade 2-4 ages. This one is very informative and is nicely illustrated. Recommended for classroom and library use as are most of the others in the Who Was series. Accessible for young readers. I learned a lot from it, too. Well done!

The Who Was series is a great one in general, and this particular book is one of my favorites. I'd always thought Johnny Appleseed went around aimlessly tossing appleseeds. Not so. He was an entrepeneur, with a great idea: keep moving west and planting apple seeds just ahead of settlers who would need fruit and so would buy his seedlings. There were also laws about land ownership that required the planting of fruit trees. Johnny was also a good, kind man. And a bit of an oddball, which is why so many legends sprang up around him. I love this artist's illustrations! DiVito is great with historical fiction and biography. (See her Annie Oakley Saves the Day chapter book.)

This book is a very concise, clear, and simple way to know about the life and work of Johnny Appleseed. It might be intended for children (I bought it for my grandkids) but I have learned a lot from it too.