Apples to Oregon

Written by Deborah Hopkinson

Narrated by Jessica Almasy

Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains "Apples, ho!" This delectable tale is a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Daddy has uprooted the family to move to Oregon-but not without his babies-apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and cherries! Will Daddy's precious plants persevere? This tall tale is loosely based on a real life fruit pioneer who brought his fruit trees along on the Oregon Trail.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705086704

Deborah Hopkinson

Deborah Hopkinson is the author of Small Places, Close to Home and Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen, among more than fifty acclaimed works for young readers including picture books, middle-grade fiction, and nonfiction that help bring history and research alive. Deborah lives near Portland, Oregon with her family and a menagerie of pets. You can visit her online at www.deborahhopkinson.com.

Reviews for Apples to Oregon

[athena.j · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The genre of this book is historical fiction. It follows the story of how a girl and her family crossed the US with apple trees, and many other fruit trees. Her daddy was intent on making it to Oregon, no matter how foolish it seemed to bring trees across the desert. Through "Delicious'" help, the fruit trees managed to cross rivers, stay watered in the desert, and make it over big rocks, until they were finally planted in the fresh Oregon soil. This would be a good book to read with younger grades if studying pioneers and how people came from the east to the west.

[matthewbloome · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Easily one of the funniest books I've read with kids all year. I read this to fourth graders in my school and in every class, no matter what the group makeup, they were all laughing as the father in this story utterly neglects his family in favor of protecting his plants on the journey west. Literary devices abound in here, but whether they dissect the text afterwards or not, kids are bound to take some enjoyment from reading this book. Wonderful story-great for reading aloud and use as a mentor text in a workshop setting.

[lynzees · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book featured a girl hero who conquered the great trip out west. Very exciting book, and great for integrating history into reading and making it fun. Suggested for middle elementary age as some words are more difficult for younger readers.

[emilylambeth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think this book would be great to read to a classroom right before the teacher was going to introduce the Oregon Trail. This book gives the student's a taste of what the Oregon Trail is, but it also includes some humor so that the students will become interested and want to learn more. This book is also great because it refers to many famous places along the Oregon Trail.

[ggenao-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book cary the power of being determine and the value of growing and loving each other has a family

[melissaboyd_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

this is a great book when teaching about the pioneers and traveling out west.

[kenblasters · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a good story to teach about persistence and will power

[tarathompson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good for teaching about the Oregon Trail.(3-4th)I enjoyed this book because it was witty and clever.Fun to read in class.

[lmeek04 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This would be a good, more personal resource for children to gain a perspective about life and what was important during the period of the Oregon Trail. I would make this a read aloud with children to talk with them about what specifically is important to note in the text and story content, as well as how the story directly relates to what they are learning in class about the subject.

[josedelaguila_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The eldest daughter of a large pioneer family, narrates this exuberant tale of her family's journey west.They overcome numerous obstacles to take a wagon load of fruit trees from Iowa to Oregon.

[abarajas09 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Genre: Historical FictionReview: This is a great example of historical fiction on the Oregon Trail. It is a tall tale that is said to be true about a family who travelled to Oregon from Iowa and their experience through the trail. Media: Oil Paint

[kairstream · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Delicious helps her father over the Oregon Trail with her cleverness. Rich language and colorful pictures have students wanting to read this story over and over!

[bsturdevant06 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Primary, IntermediateThis is a god example of historical fiction. It shows a good understanding of what was happening during the time of the Oregon trail. It makes the trip on the Oregon trail something that can be related to by the way of a fictional story. Although it does have some truth to the story. The plot is pretty straight forward being a people against nature. It is the attempt to get the plants across the Oregon trail. It gives a good since of challenge and resolution when they get Oregon and have them planted. Media: Oil Paints

[megryan21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought it was a cute book with lots of humor. It can get kids into a good mood, a happy mood.

[kelseyprentice · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a father who takes his family from Iowa to Oregon. He is obsessed with his fruit trees and plants them in a small wagon to take with them. When the plants have to travel across the river, through a drought, and through cold nights it's up to the family to save them. His daughter "Delicious" does everything she can to save these plants and when they finally get to Oregon, everyone lives happily ever after and is thrilled.Critique (Genre): This is a good example of historical fiction (and a tall tale) because many families did choose to move west with their families, so it was very historically based. However, most father's are not more concerned with fruit trees they are trying to transport than their own family. The author did add a historical piece relating to everyone else moving west to California for gold. Media: Oil Paint

[jessicaz89 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like it because it shows perseverance.

[kmacneill_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great folk tale. It’s a fun read aloud. It’s the fictional story based loosely on facts about the man and family who brought apples to Oregon. It is told through the brave daughter’s perspective. This book has many various things that students can learn from such as alliteration, voice, similes, and humorous writing. The illustrations are great. This would be a great read aloud in class. I would use it to demonstrate tall tales that are loosely based on facts. I would love to have the kids find events in history and make their own tall tales loosely using the facts they learn.

[elanirichards · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story is sort of goofy, but it is a fun read-aloud. The illustrations are hilarious too. Lots of details to pull out of it--similes, alteration, puns, and reading for humor. I would ask my students to see which character they relate to, or if they see someone in the story that reminds them of relative or friend. Perhaps reading a page, and then having them make their own illustration, before they see the illustrators version could be fun.

[crystalr_78 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is definitely a Read Aloud book! Illustratons ake this book alot more appealing

[kris0812 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This tall tale is loosely based on the true story of Henderson Luelling who left Iowa and traveling to Oregon with his family bringing seven hundred plants and fruit trees with him. This story puts a light spin on the difficult journey many frontier families faced. The silly text and pictures and sure to capture the attention of young readers.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Delicious's father decides to head west to Oregon in this entertaining tall tale, he takes along all of his favorite apple trees (not to mention his peach, plum, cherry and pear trees, as well as his grape vines), carefully stowed away in a wagon of their own. The trail from Iowa to the west coast is an arduous one though, and Delicious must often think quickly in order to help her father get his precious cargo to its destination...The third book I have read from author/illustrator team Deborah Hopkinson and Nancy Carpenter - the first two being Fannie In the Kitchen and A Letter to My Teacher - this engaging work of picture-book historical fiction is apparently based upon the real-life story of pioneer Henderson Lewelling, who established the first orchard in Oregon. That said, this is definitely a fictional tale, and is full of a folksy language and sense of humor. The accompanying artwork, done in oil paint, is full of light and color, and captures the excitement of Delicious and her family's many adventures. Recommended to children who enjoy tall tales and/or stories about the westward journey of the pioneers.

[fullerl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Delicious and her family set out to cross the country with a wagon full of baby trees. They are headed to Oregon, but as the reader discovers, the trail to Oregon is fraught with dangers for little trees - and people! Delicious and her family battle the elements to bring their baby nursery stock to the Oregon frontier. The voice in this story is young and vibrant with colorful pictures full of humor as an accompanyment. A delightful book that children would happily read again and again.

[lmaddux_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story of apples being brought to oregon by a pioneer. It is a fun book to read-aloud. Text-to-text connection. Great for younger readers too.

[sunnyd77_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I LIKE THIS BOOK BECAUSE THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE SPUNKY!!! AND THE LITTLE GIRL IS SO CHARASMATIC AND COLORFUL! I ALSO LIKE THIS BOOK BECAUSE THE BOOK NOT ONLY TEACHERS CHILDREN TO PRACTICE TEAMWORK BUT ALSO IT TEACHES ABOUT GEOGRAPHY,

[rbelknap_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a folk tale. It is a folk tale because it is a story about the person that brought apples to Oregon by way of the Oregon Trail. No single person brought the ansetors of all the apple trees in Oregon.In this story the dad of the family could not bear to leave his apple trees in Iowa, where they were leaving for the west, so he takes them with them on the Oregon Trail. In the story it seems like the cares more about his plants making it to Oregon than his family. But they do all survive the trip including all the trees.Age Appropriateness: Primary, IntermediateMedia: Oil Paints

[canderson15-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was story loosely based on a family that went across the Oregon trail. They brought with them many fruit trees to be planted in their new home. This book did a good job in creatively describing a trip across the Oregon trail and some of the hardships that many had to face.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This well-illustrated story of a girl named Delicious whose family travels from Iowa to Oregon taking along their beloved fruit trees. While the story does mention some of the hardships faced on the trail such as river crossings and mountains, the main focus of the book is on getting the trees across rather than the family. I think my greatest problem with the book is that the father seemingly placed a greater importance on his beloved fruit trees than upon his own family. This would be a good read for a young reader whose ancestors traveled the Oregon Trail, but I'd want to tell the child that his own family cared about the fate of the children making the venture than upon the possessions. The story itself is based in part upon a family that did take trees from their former home to Oregon.

[scrane4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book for a couple of reasons. First, the plot of the book was well put together. The book starts off with the main characters father building a nursery wagon. The fathers plan is to travel with the nursery wagon from Iowa to Oregon. Although the father gets made fun of, he has hope that he can get his plants to Oregon. The family goes through challenges when traveling with these plants but eventually make it to Oregon. Because of the incidents that happen through the trip there is so much suspense on whether the family will lose the plants or not. The second thing I liked about this book is the illustrations. The illustrations really enhance the story because they showed the family working together to save the nursery. On one page it shows five different actions that the family members were making to save the nursery from falling into the river. The illustration even overlapped the text which I thought was great. On this specific page the water from the river splashed into the text. Overall, I think that this books message is that you can do anything you set your mind to and that family is the key to success.

[shantir-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Genre: Historical FictionAudience: 3-5thApples to Oregon is a book about a family’s journey westward along the Oregon Trail, where they transport fruit plants and the adventures they encounter along the way. It is a tall tale, but also portrays the hardships the protagonist Delicious faces while travelling with a large family of young children and fruit trees. I will use this book to highlight the role and plight of women who traveled west into new territory leaving their homes behind and how they carried fruit trees to remind them of home. I can also show the students more about the Oregon Trail and how people traveled on it to get more land in the west.

[jenniferm14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This cute book is a historical fiction that tells the tale of bringing fruit across the United States by Pioneers. It is told through the daughter of a pioneering father and will sure to bring giggles to the classroom. It is appropriate for beginning readers.