I put the lessons garnered from research about Johnny Appleseed's life into the book in the form of five footsteps that allowed him to walk into history:
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.
Lends itself very nicely to a bulletin board if I do say so myself (and in conjunction with artwork from Aliki's Story of Johnny Appleseed)! Plus, you can use SEED BY SEED as a springboard for reading any picture book biographies and have the children come up with their own "footsteps," or tenets of the person's life that make them notable and worth remembering. The main idea of Johnny Appleseed's life and the book I wrote about him is that you can change the landscape of our country by planting a small seed every day---doing one small positive thing with consistency. What seed will you plant?
The best news is that the clever illustrator created free downloadable seed packets, a "Johnny Jump-Up" printable toy and a coloring page that you can share with your class! Click here to print your own! Thank you so much, Lynne Rae Perkins! In the spirit of Johnny Appleseed...please spread the seed to read!
Links provided for information. Please support your local independent bookseller.
