JOHNNY APPLESEED'S ANNIVERSARY

In honor of Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman's birthday, I am going to direct you to my Johnny Appleseed Anniversary page, http://www.planetesme.com/seasons.html#johnny. Pictured is one of my staple storytime stars on this day, an oldie but a goodie: THE STORY OF JOHNNY APPLESEED by Aliki.

Johnny Appleseed is my American hero. I talk about him all year long. His birthday is a very holy day on my calendar, because he was a remarkable and singular man, a visionary and an inspiration. Though the details of his life are sometimes mixed with legend, there is one thing I feel in true: every day, he planted at least one seed, and by doing one small thing every day consistently, he changed the landscape of our nation. I believe that read-aloud is one small "seed" we can plant, and by sharing a book with a child every day, we, too, can change the landscape of our nation. I hope we can all pause for just a moment on this special day and think of what we can commit to doing consistently, in his memory and in the interest of our wonderful country. Every year, my family makes a resolution of one small thing we can do every day. You are invited to join in this tradition! What can we do? Read aloud? Recycle something? Do some small kind act anonymously? Feed someone? The saying goes, "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple. Who can count the apples in a seed?" Plant your seed and watch what grows and grows and grows.

One of my friends, in a moment of faltered patience with my long-winded adoration, nicknamed me "Jappy Appleseed." I wear that moniker with pride (even if I don't drink Tab or have a credit card, Sheila!).

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