ALA Booklist (Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

The author and illustrator of Pumpkins (2004) turn their focus to apples in this informative picture book. In a text that covers how "the most popular fruit in the United States" is grown and harvested, Farmer delves into both basic botany e parts of a flower; how pollination occurs d more advanced concepts, such as grafting. Children encountering plant science for the first time will need help puzzling through the challenging concepts and vocabulary; photosynthesis, for example, is alluded to but not fully explained. Later spreads offer a more accessible overview of apple varieties (pictured in a handsome, illustrated chart), nutrition, and historical significance. The watercolor-and-pencil artwork includes helpful, labeled diagrams as well as multicultural apple lovers, picking, eating, and enjoying the fruit, in the past and today. A recipe for apple pie and a list of more apple facts close this solid choice for science units. Pair this with Betsy Maestro's How Do Apples Grow? (1991) and Gail Gibbons' Apples (2000).

Kirkus Reviews

Apples are a perennial favorite for fall eating, teacher gifts and back-to-school primary science units. Farmer's contribution covers apple varieties, how they grow, nutrition, apple history, a list of fun facts and, of course (nearly every apple book has one), a recipe for apple pie. (Why not apple cobbler? Apple brown betty? Applesauce?) Two problems keep this volume from being as useful as similar titles. First, there's no story—the information is presented sequentially within each subtopic, but there's no overall flow. Second, there's too much information for primary grades, while not being enough for upper-level students, who've probably moved beyond apples, anyway. Two pages discuss grafting and scions in a manner that will likely confuse younger readers. Half as much information, presented more clearly, would have made a better book. For libraries wanting a lot of facts about apples, this might work, but teachers below grade three should look elsewhere. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-8)

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-Farmer provides a wealth of information here. The process of grafting is clearly explained, as are the differences between apple juice and cider, the nutritional value of the popular fruit, and the apple in history and legend. A handy chart detailing the various kinds of apples and their appropriate uses is included, as is a page of facts and records and a recipe for apple pie. Watercolor illustrations feature a multicultural cast of smiling children. The pictures accurately reflect the text and are attractive, although a bit stiff. Libraries owning Gail Gibbons's Apples (Holiday House, 2000) will still find this book useful for supporting those fall/apple units.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.