Reading a book to a roomful of preschoolers is one of the best ways to capture their attention and a great way to introduce a new theme. With their built-in curiosity, children are easily captivated by a great narrative and beautiful pictures. But which books are appropriate for your preschool class?
Finding age-appropriate books for preschool can sometimes be a challenge. Too many words will quickly loose their interest. Busy pictures will distract them from the oral story. The following is a short guide to finding a good preschool story about Johnny Appleseed and how to best use the books that are available.
It's important to look for books that have engaging pictures on each page. Often times, the story of Johnny Appleseed has illustrations that don't change much from page to page. Several pages with similar drawings of apple trees and a man walking with a pot on his head will not keep the young child's interest for long. Look for books with exciting pictures and different ideas being expressed at each turn of the page.
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg is lavishly illustrated. Each page will give the student new visual clues and images to spark their imagination and to enhance the story. You may find that the book is too wordy for your preschool students if they are loosing interest in the spoken narrative. This is the perfect time to use the text and pictures as a guide and tell your own story. Put the story in your own words.
Johnny Appleseed: My Story by David L Harrison and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka is a well worded book that is better suited to young minds. The narrative of this preschool story about Johnny Appleseed is lively with simple and matched with interesting pictures that are appropriate to a preschool setting.
Johnny Appleseed - a poem by Reeve Lindbergh is another version of the story but this time, set to verse. The illustrations are beautiful and detailed paintings by Kathy Jakobsen meant to look like folk art. The illustrations tell a story not only of Johnny Appleseed, but of the time in which the story took place. This book would be a great springboard for discussion about history, with visual cues to enhance the discussion.
For lesson plan ideas and ways to incorporate a preschool story about Johnny Appleseed into your lesson plans, these links may be useful:
Apple Lesson Plans for Preschool
Johnny Appleseed - a history lesson
Apple Tree Art