1. Under the Apple Tree by Steve Metzger: “Come along and sit with me, underneath my apple tree!” This book is about all of the fun one little boy has around his backyard apple tree. It is nice and simple and we love the rhymes and artwork.
2. The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall: In this book, two children follow the cycle of an apple tree through the seasons. The story ends with a warm apple pie being taken from the oven and includes a recipe to make your own! We love the paint and paper collage style illustrations.
3. Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie by Herman Parish: In this Amelia Bedelia book, Amelia visits her grandparents and makes a pie with her Grandma. In true Amelia Bedelia fashion, she mistakes Granny Smith for a person and thinks that a farmer’s market is a place to buy farmers. This book had us giggling the whole way through.
4. Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd: This book tells all about how Johnny Appleseed grew from a young boy who loved the outdoors into the well known man who planted apple trees all across the county. A great biography for little learners.
5. Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace: Minna and her family visit an apple orchard and learn all about apples. The book shows how apples are grown, different varieties, proper picking techniques, and different foods that can be made with apples. This was more of an informational book than a story, and we loved the cut felt style illustrations.
6. Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss: A lion, a dog, and a tiger show all of the fun things they can do all while balancing apples on their heads. Practice counting over and over again while the animals hop, balance on wires, and even roller skate! These adorable characters will have little ones reading, counting, and giggling along!
7. One Green Apple by Eve Bunting: This is a different kind of apple themed book but I had to add it to this list because of the message it teaches. Through one Muslim girl’s experience, this book shows how a community can be kind and welcoming to strangers and newcomers. The illustrations are stunning and the topic so important.
8. Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta: Really cute book for teaching literature and math together. It would be fun to use actual apples to cut into pieces along the way for some delicious hands on learning.
9. Apples by Gail Gibbons: I LOVE Gail Gibbons books for introducing nonfiction concepts. This book does not disappoint and covers everything from pollination to picking and eating.
10. Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins: This book combines rhyming, counting, repetition and animal sounds for a fun apple themed read aloud with a surprise ending.
11. The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons: This book describes the changing seasons and the way an apple tree changes and grows. Arnold shows all kinds of seasonal activities that he loves to do around his apple tree. At the end of the book there is a recipe for apple pie and a description of how an apple cider press works.
12. How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro: This is another great non fiction book about how apples grow. A great book for comparing with The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons:
If you are still a little overwhelmed trying to decide which books to use and what skills to practice, I am taking all the guesswork out of that for you!
I created this Apples: Read & Respond resource to go along with 5 of my favorite apple books above. It is the perfect way to strengthen comprehension and writing skills along with some fun craftivities to keep your kids engaged! And all of the activities are differentiated for K-2 and Common Core aligned.
Practice visualizing and narrative writing with Under the Apple Tree by Steve Metzger.
Plus create this fun Apple Tree Craft!
Sequence a story and write an acrostic poem with The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall.
Teach character traits and how to writing with Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie by Herman Parish.
Learn to identify important information and compose informative writing with Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd.
Practice using text features and crafting opinion writing with Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.
Plus make this adorable Apple Labeling Craft!
You can grab all of these activities here Apples: Read & Respond, happy fall!
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Thanks Jessica! What a fun list – I've never seen a lot of these! Fall is still a ways off for us in Florida, but I've got these books on hold at the library 🙂