My Vote (for the most inspiring picture book of 2012)

On the eve of Election Day, I've been considering what might be the most inspiring picture book of 2012.  My vote?  Seed by Seed, The Legend and Legacy of John "Appleseed" Chapman.

Reading through this book is like walking through a living history museum!  In the opening pages, author Esmé Raji Codell asks, "When we look out our windows, what do we see?"  She then begins to describe how things used to look, as Lynn Rae Perkins' soothing pictures take us through a "tree-bough-tangled world" of the past...  

Illustrator Lynn Rae Perkins immersed herself in the life and times of Johnny Appleseed for her research: visiting museums, hiking, and even spending hours stitching a beautiful sampler that appears in the book.

source

Lynn Rae Perkins: Esmé writes about the “five footsteps” Johnny left for us to walk in, ideas that we can emulate in our own lives. I decided to try to embody those ideas in physical objects. I thought it would make it easier for kids to remember them. Also, I like, really really like, making stuff. This meant more research, because I wanted the objects to represent the idea, but also to be of Johnny’s time and place. I wanted them to be things that would have words on them: maps, books, embroidery, painted signs. But what did those things look like back then? Which things were present in ordinary people’s lives?

FIVE FOOTSTEPS:

1. Use what you have.
2. Share what you have.
3. Respect Nature.
4. Try to make peace where there is war.
5. You can reach your destination by taking small steps.

Here at Good Books For Young Souls, I've done a couple of posts on Johnny Appleseed, and this particular book is very unique.  Author Esmé Raji Codell is, I think, the biggest John Chapman fan/enthusiast I've ever come across! Why did she write this book, when there are so many others out there?  On her blog, she explains:
...what I was really looking for was a book that not only walked through the narrative of John Chapman’s storied life, but one that would make the legend of Johnny Appleseed relevant to the modern, urban readers in the Chicago Public Schools, the children with whom I was reading. The question wasn't "who was Johnny Appleseed?" The question was, "Why should we care who he was?" I wanted a book that made readers love Johnny Appleseed, be inspired by him and want to emulate his example, even over the distance of history. I had that experience, and I wanted to share it. So the first thing I did in approaching SEED BY SEED was think, what is it about John Chapman that transcends time? What about him touches me in both a secular way and a spiritual way, and how can that been written about so it will touch someone else?

One of my favorite stories that Esmé relates about Johnny?  
It is said that John Chapman used his open shirt pocket as a pouch to carry his books.  It is also said that he ripped books into chapters in order to circulate them between settlers.  He liked to gather children and their families around him and delight them with a story time...In this way, he was the frontier's first librarian!

I'm sure we can all take a lesson from Johnny Appleseed, a man who lived by example, was kind and pious, and had respect for all living things:

Seed by seed, deed by deed,

Johnny Appleseed changed the landscape of a nation.

And now it's your turn.

One small deed, every day.

Tomorrow, go do your good deed for the day and exercise your freedom to vote!  And if you treat yourself to this book, you'll find a recipe for Johnny's favorite dessert on the last page!  Apple Pie and voting - it doesn't get much more American than that!

AN OFFERING FROM THE EARTH BECOMES FOOD FROM HEAVEN...

Jane G. Meyer has written two children's books, THE MAN AND THE VINE, and THE WOMAN AND THE WHEAT, that reveal beautifully how humanity's simple act of cooperation with God's creation and abundance brings not only food and drink for our enjoyment, but also an offering back to the Creator in worship - as bread and wine for Holy Communion. 

Boys in a Pasture, by Winslow Homer

The illustrations, by Ned Gannon, are colorfully rich and warm.  I was immediately reminded of the farms, fields, and open skies often seen in landscape paintings by artists such as Winslow Homer.  The pictures match Jane's lyrical and rhythmic text perfectly and will hold your children's attention to the very end of the books.

The first story, The Man and the Vine, is about the prayerful care a Man gives to his vineyard and the joy and anticipation of his first taste of the grape juice.  The pages that follow show a waxing and waning moon, and a shadowy cellar full of wine bottles...

With a sigh and a song, with a wink and a blink,

the grape who was juice went to sleep for a year.

A long, quiet year in a long, quiet room

where other juice slept too.

Then of course, the juice "wakes up" and the wine from the earth is offered to God. It becomes a Heavenly food, as the Man and his family partake of Communion...and the heavens sang along.

Jane's companion book, The Woman and the Wheat, is equally engaging - and a bit familiar, if children have ever watched their mothers baking bread.  (If not, Jane, an avid baker herself,  has a great blog at http://www.janegmeyer.wordpress.com/ - where she shares some wonderful recipes and many experiences on baking and giving.) 

Ned Gannon again lends his gorgeous artwork that brings Jane's storytelling alive, as a Woman plants some wheat and waits until spring, when she'll start working and weeding in the field.  She prays for the harvest of wheat that eventually goes to the miller, where it's turned into flour.

Now it's time to make the bread...With a splash of water, and a shake of salt; a sprinkle of yeast and a bowl full of flour, the woman brought the dough to life.  She swayed to and fro like a long stalk of wheat, working the dough with her strong warm hands, and the dough grew soft and smooth.

In the field, in her kitchen, and at church the Woman prays...

On her lips were more prayers of all sorts:  for the rain, and the sun, and the moon, and the wheat - and the bread that was to come. 

And her offering from the earth is a gift to God - and becomes His Gift to us - as  Food from Heaven.

Both books were published and are available at St. Vladamir's Seminary Press (www.svspress).  Get to know more about Jane, when you visit her website:  http://www.janegmeyer.com/. 

TIME FOR GARDENS

Summer is a great time to read and learn about seeds and planting! There are some wonderful picture books out there that may inspire you and your child to start your own backyard garden...

Preschool-2nd grade
THE CARROT SEED, by Ruth Krauss - illustrations by Crockett Johnson. Children will love the simple drawings in this story about a little boy who not only plants a seed, but tends it carefully and waits patiently - even though everyone tells him, "it won't come up".
ONE BEAN, by Ann Rockwell - illustrations by Meghan Halsey. You'll want to try some of the activities at the end of this book! A look at exactly what happens to a bean as it sprouts on a wet paper towel - bright and accurate illustrations make learning about plant cycles interesting for even young children.
FROM SEED TO PUMPKIN, by Wendy Pfeffer - illustrations by James Graham Hale. Sweet watercolor-and-pencil illustrations of children planting and taking care of their pumpkins. Some simple recipes and experiments are included.
A FRUIT IS A SUITCASE FOR SEEDS, by Jean Richards - illustrations by Anca Hariton. Fun introduction to seeds, with nice watercolor pictures.


Kindergarten-3rd grade
THE LADY AND THE SPIDER, by Faith McNulty - illustrations by Bob Marstall. Spiders are NOT among my favorite things, but I couldn't resist this serene story of a lady and the green spider that lives in her lettuce patch. Learning about what goes on in a spider's daily life will help young ones (and moms), who might be squeamish about these eight-legged creatures, appreciate, instead of fear them!
A WEED IS A FLOWER: THE LIFE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER, by Aliki.
George Washington Carver learned about plants by taking care of other people's gardens. This man, who devoted his life to helping the south improve its agriculture, was born to slave parents and didn't go to college until he was 30 years old!
ALL IN A DAY, by Cynthia Rylant - illustrations by Nikki McClure. The black and white paper art cut-outs by Nikki McClure, on alternating pastel blue and yellow backgrounds, are a beautiful pairing with the quiet poetic text, written by Cynthia Rylant, about a day in the life of a boy on a farm. He not only waters his garden and gathers eggs, but picnics and naps with his pet hen.