MMM mmmm. Time for pie.
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When I was a kid I loved loved loved reading picture books that involved apple pies. I didn't particularly care for pie in real life, but on the printed page there was no desert more delectable and delicious to read about than scrumptious nummy buttery apple pie. I had to grow to adulthood before I really grew to appreciate this particular dessert, and I've been devouring them ever since. Looking back, I was also a big fan (when younger) of the beautiful apple blossom. For those of you living in Michigan, the apple blossom is the official state flower (a fact remembered almost entirely by elementary teachers and school children). Looking at Zoe Hall's enjoyable, "The Apple Pie Tree", a book at combines these two long distant loves, I find myself wishing I could have had this book at my disposal when I was a kid. A tale that examines the step-by-step process of how apples grow and are later turned into pies, it effectively conveys seasons, growth cycles, and (literally) the birds and the bees.
The heroine of this story and her baby sister show the viewer the process that goes into making apple pie. In the winter, the apple tree that sits in their backyard is bare and bereft of life. With the advent of Spring, buds turn to leaves and birds build nests in the branches. Spring means baby birds and apple blossoms covered in bees. In the summertime the blossoms become small green apples. We watch as the kids play in the sprinkler and the baby birds fly from the tree. Then, oh joy of joys, the tree is filled with shiny red apples. These are picked, cored, cut, and piled into a pie shell. A sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on top seals the deal and out of the oven pops a delicious apple pie. And, as our heroine is quick to point out, "There's nothing as good as an apple pie you grew yourself".
For those readers who live in geographic areas that can support apple trees, this might be the perfect book to read before heading out to the nearest orchard and picking a few. Even those who claim to be cuisinely challenged will find the recipe for apple pie in the back of the book a simple process (though I advise you to buy a crust rather than make one, as the book suggests, if you're inexperienced). The back of the book also provides a little more information on how exactly bees turn blossoms into apples. Nothing like a little plant reproduction lesson to sum up a swell story. This book would read especially well in the fall, since that's the time of year the tale ends with. Sadly, the story's art is not particularly exceptional. Using a painted and found-paper collage technique, it gets the message across but doesn't really blow you away. I found myself wishing idly that Lois Ehlert (of "Snowballs" fame) had been placed in charge of the illustrations here. Still, illustrator Shari Halpern does her best and the pictures, while not spectacular, detract from neither the narrative nor the lessons. They're just a bit dull.
This book will not make you crave apple pie if you've never craved it before. And it will not stun you with its brilliance. It's just a nice little story about baking, time, and the circle of life (sans that whole icky death part, of course). If you'd like a colorful picture book for some autumnal reading, this "The Apple Pie Tree" is probably a sure-fire winner. I should mention too, that if you DO happen to enjoy the delightful taste sensation that is apple pie, this book WILL make you crave it. Intensely. Best read with a piece in your hand for easy reference.
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