Preschool and kindergarten children love to learn about apples including their life cycle, how they change with the seasons, and the various ways apples can be used. These children's picture books offer a variety of ways to approach a preschool apple themed unit or kindergarten seasons unit and will provide useful information when preparing lesson plans for either theme.
The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree Picture Book
The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons [Harcourt Brace and Company, 1984, ISBN 0152712461] is a classic book that shows the changes of a boy's apple tree throughout the seasons. Arnold interacts with his tree in various ways throughout the spring, summer, fall and winter, showing appropriate activities for each season.
This is a colorful book that is a great introduction to seasons as shown through the changes of a tree. The text is simple enough to hold the attention of young children, but involved enough to provide more than a passing comment about each page.
The Apple Pie Tree Book
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall [Scholastic, 1996, ISBN 0590623834] is the story of two sisters who have an apple tree. The story describes what happens each season with their tree such as robins building a nest in the spring amidst the apple blossoms and the apples growing larger during the summer while they run in the sprinkler underneath. When fall comes, they harvest the apples and make an apple pie.
The illustrations in this book are called a painted and found-paper collage technique. It results in a colorful and graphic illustration style that will appeal to preschool and kindergarten aged children. It is an excellent book for showing how an apple tree changes over the seasons as well as the key stages of the apple tree's life cycle.
I Am an Apple Children's Picture Book
I Am an Apple by Jean Marzollo [Scholastic, 1997, ISBN 0590372238] is a simple and colorful introduction to the seasons of an apple tree. The story starts with a red bud and follows it through being an apple blossom into a small green apple that grows and becomes a red apple, The apple is then picked and eaten. The seeds are planted and the cycle begins again.
This is an excellent book for young children such as preschool aged as it is colorfully illustrated using cut paper. The images are large and bright. The text is also simple making it easy to follow.
Teaching children about apple trees and the seasons is always a highlight in the fall of preschool and kindergarten. Using colorful books with simple language is a good way to engage small children with the theme of an apple's life cycle. Preparing easy hands-on activities for an apple themed unit will add more fun as will enjoying another apple book such as Apple Farmer Annie or other fall-themed activities. Children will also enjoy September and fall writing activities, scarecrow activities, and pumpkin unit ideas.
Sallie Schaaf Borrink - Sallie Borrink is a professional writer with extensive experience with business clients, the consumer market, and online destinations.
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