The Crooked Apple Tree
By Eric Houghton
Published By Bearfoot Books
Review by: Yvonne Gaudet
Are you doing a lesson plan for your young ones covering the topics of seasons and/or apples? If so this terrific book would be a perfect addition to your classroom or personal library!
When Kate and Ben move to their new house they hope the garden has a pond and a cave so they can pretend to be cavemen and pirates. Unfortunately, all the children find in the back yard is a crooked apple tree! The children become upset because a crooked apple tree is not good for anything! Dad says nothing but takes a picture with his camera. In a few weeks the blossoms blow down in the spring breeze and Kate pretends to be exploring the North Pole. Dad takes a photo. When summer became hot Kate and Ben climbed in the tree and pretended some more and again dad took a picture. The story goes on throughout all the seasons, and as the good for nothing tree changes so does the children’s imaginative play. Dad is constantly taking pictures after pictures! In the end of the story Kate and Ben’s father give the children a present, a photographed book about a good for nothing crooked apple tree! Maybe Kate and Ben have learned a valuable fun lesson, not everything that appears useless is!
The illustrations in this book were prepared in watercolor, gouache and pastel by Caroline Gold, and they are beautiful soft and pleasing to the eyes!
I recommend this book for ages 0-6. It teaches about the changes in seasons, the changes of apple trees during each season, and how during these changes, we can play different imaginative games in the shade of our favorite apple tree! We really enjoyed this story and now my children would like a crooked apple tree of their very own!
