Stephanie Deutsch
In lively, image-rich language, Delicious tells of rafting the baby trees across a perilous river; protecting them from wind and hail with skirts, bonnets and petticoats; finding water for them in an old boot; and fanning away Jack Frost with smoke from a campfire. Nancy Carpenter's bright illustrations capture the exuberant spirit and the humor as well as many details.
— The New York Times
Publishers Weekly
The creators of Fannie in the Kitchen present another satisfying slice of Americana in this capricious caper, loosely based on a true story. "My daddy loved growin' apples. And when he got ready to pull up roots and leave Iowa for Oregon, he couldn't bear to leave his apple trees behind," states the vivacious young narrator, with the fitting name of Delicious. Her father builds two large wooden boxes, fills them with "good, wormy dirt" and fruit trees, and loads them onto a wagon. "Oh, and by the way, he took us along too," she adds. As the girl's colloquial account follows the family of 10 across country, Carpenter's oil paintings provide effervescent particulars, such as Daddy bowed out at the front of the wagon, leading the team of oxen, while Delicious, addressing the audience full-on, nearly misses her ride West. Carpenter's brushstrokes, both delicate and broad, plus her rubbery characters add up to a more rugged style than her fine line renderings in Fannie, yet the artwork conveys just as much humor. Youngsters will revel in the fact that it is only through the efforts of inventive and indefatigable Delicious that the precious cargo survives its journey-through hail, drought and frost-to Oregon, where father and daughter plant a successful orchard. Daddy has the delectable last word: "Delicious, you'll always be the apple of my eye." This tallish tale is sweet to the core. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 4-In this original tall tale, Delicious describes her family's journey from Iowa to Oregon in the 1800s. Daddy loves the idea of going west but he can't bear to leave his apple trees behind. He constructs two special wagons, fills them with "good, wormy dirt," and packs in hundreds of plants and trees. "Apples, ho!" he cries, and off they go. When they reach the Platte River-"wider than Texas, thicker than Momma's muskrat stew"-Delicious helps her father build a raft to ferry the seedlings-and the family-across. Everyone makes it to the other side, just barely. Before long, a hailstorm hits, scattering bonnets, petticoats, and even Daddy's drawers. Other larger-than-life challenges await the family, but inventive Delicious always manages to save the day. Soon, they're all floating down "the mighty Columbia." They plant those trees in Oregon soil, and everyone lives happily ever after. An author's note explains that this story is based loosely on Henderson Luelling, a pioneer who really did transport plants and fruit trees to Oregon in 1847. Hopkinson's version, of course, is just pure fun and make-believe. Carpenter's oil paintings are filled with vivid shades that reflect the changing scenery. Amusing details abound, and the slightly exaggerated humor of the pictures is in perfect balance with the tone of the text. The plucky heroine-wearing a bright red dress, white pinafore, and confident smile-often takes center stage. An entertaining choice for storytimes or an amusing supplement to units on westward expansion.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The subtitle ("Being the [Slightly] True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries [and Children] Across the Plains") sets the tone and describes the plot, but the flavor is in the folksy telling of this clever tall tale that humorously portrays a family's trek west from Iowa to Oregon to plant their father's fruit trees. His oldest daughter, Delicious, regales readers with her accounts of the many hazards and risks the family faces (eight children and mama) as they rescue Daddy's darlings, the young trees, from drowning in a river crossing, being pounded by hailstones, withering by drought, and then freezing by Jack Frost. Carpenter's illustrations paint hilarious touches, such as the scene where they use their clothing to protect the plants from hail, including Daddy's underwear. Endpaper maps trace their journey and the author's note states that the story is loosely based on a real pioneer, Henderson Luelling. The pun-filled text and puckish pictures by the team that created Fannie in the Kitchen (2001) spin a pip of a yarn that is just downright delicious. (Picture book. 4-8)
JUN/JUL 06 - AudioFile
Johhny Appleseed would be proud of young Delicious and her family's efforts to take "Daddy's dainties" and "precious darlings" all the way to the sweet dirt of Oregon. Apple expressions, references, and imagery abound as this flamboyant family ventures across river and desert, surviving wind, hail, and frost with a wagonload of apple seedlings. Jessica Almasy's understated exaggeration underscores the tall-tale fun of this "daring adventure in fruit." She gives equal weight to Daddy's earnest pleas for Delicious's aid and the preposterous notions of a river "muddier than a cowboy's toenails" and the "nightly crooning to the Gravensteins." Be ready for some outrageous fun! A.R. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
