The Apple Pie That Papa Baked

by Lauren Thompson, Jonathan Bean (Illustrator)

Overview

These are the apples, juicy and red,
that went in the pie,
warm and sweet,
that Papa baked...
for guess who!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416912408
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	07/24/2007
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	416,795
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lauren Thompson is the author of several picture books, including the popular Mouse’s First series, Little Quack series, and the Wee Little series. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed The Apple Pie That Papa Baked as well as Leap Back Home to Me; Chew, Chew, Gulp!; and Hop, Hop, Jump! She lives with her husband and son in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Little Quack and Polar Bear Night author Lauren Thompson joins with illustrator Jonathan Bean for a down-home romp that combines old-fashioned wordplay with incredible artwork reminiscent of Wanda Gág. As young readers learn about a girl and her pie-baking Papa through verse that builds as the story moves along, they're treated to a visual feast of earth-toned drawings that are both beautiful and unique. Whether it's watching "the tree, crooked and strong" or "the sun, fiery and bright," readers will eat up the ingredients that go into making Papa's pie and the elements in this exquisite children's book.

Thompson (Polar Bear Night) and Bean (At Night, reviewed above) cook up a delicious homage to vintage children's books. Describing the eponymous pie, the author replicates with natural grace the cumulative structure and rhythm of "The House That Jack Built"-"This is the tree, crooked and strong,/ that grew the apples, juicy and red,/ that went in the pie, warm and sweet,/ that Papa baked." Bean-who names his influences as Virginia Lee Burton and Wanda Gág-unfolds the action on a ramshackle farm, limiting his palette to three colors, black, ochre and a splash of red. Visual excitement comes from the textures of rough bark and rolling hills. The farmer father, his daughter with her tight braids and feedsack dress, and their farm look a lot like renderings from WPA-era woodcuts and lithographs. The family livestock and lean black cat peer hopefully through the window as Papa and daughter peel apples into a pie plate. All the characters, human and animal, appear in silhouette at sunset in a resounding finale: "This is the world,/ blooming with life,/ that spins with the sun, fiery and bright,/ that lights the sky, wide and fair...." The last page indicates an unexpected guest dropping by for the last piece of pie. This tribute to the artists of an earlier age should take its place among bedtime favorites; if it persuades families to explore picture book classics, so much the better. Ages 5-up. (Aug.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2
A father lovingly prepares a treat for his daughter in this charming story. The cumulative text begins with the apples ("These are the apples, juicy and red, that went in the pie, warm and sweet, that Papa baked") and then moves on to the tree that grew the fruit, its roots, the rain," the clouds, the sky, the sun, and finally the world ("blooming with life"). Bean's fine folk-style artwork complements the lyrical text. The illustrations were each drawn in black ink on three separate sheets of vellum, scanned into a computer, and recomposed and colored. They use only red, black, and yellow, and the simple palette and buff-colored pages make the images sharp and elegant. The pictures effectively and humorously move the story forward, depicting the activities of the characters and several tag-along farm animals as they pick the apples, prepare the pie, and head back to the tree for a picnic. While the text blossoms out to encompass the whole world, the illustrations focus on the homey setting and the affection shared by father and daughter, keeping the story grounded until its sweet conclusion. A delightful and engaging read.
—Catherine CallegariCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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