Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (And Children) Across the Plains

by Deborah Hopkinson

Other authorsNancy Carpenter (Author)
Paperback, 2004

Status

Available

Call number

398.2

Collection

Publication

Scholastic (2004), 40 pages

Description

A pioneer father transports his beloved fruit trees and his family to Oregon in the mid-nineteenth century. Based loosely on the life of Henderson Luelling.

User reviews

LibraryThing member lmeek04
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
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as how the story directly relates to what they are learning in class about the subject.
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LibraryThing member kmacneill
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,
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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.
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LibraryThing member bsturdevant06
Primary, Intermediate
This 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
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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
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LibraryThing member crystalr
This book is definitely a Read Aloud book! Illustratons ake this book alot more appealing
LibraryThing member wturnbull06
This is a good example of a tall tale because it tells the slight true narrative of a story about a family who pioneered to Oregon from Iowa and brought apple trees as well as other trees and plants with them.
Media: oil paint
LibraryThing member katitefft
Apples to Oregon is an excellent example of historical fiction because it tells the true story of Henderson Luelling, a man who literally brought apples and other fruit trees from Salem, Iowa to Oregon in 1847. The facts about the Luelling family are true in this story, despite the fact that the
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author takes some liberties in adding some "tall tale-like" details. The setting for this story is one of the most important literary elements because it adds to the historicity of this tale. Beginning in Iowa during the time of Westward Expansion and the California Gold Rush, this family makes their journey in a covered wagon to Milwaukie, Oregon, where Luelling's fruit trees are still considered a valuable part of the city's history.
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LibraryThing member APoteet
This energetic, funny tall tale tells how young pioneer girl Delicious helps her family bring young apple trees by wagon train from Iowa to Oregon.
LibraryThing member amycampbell
An adorable book giving some historical information about a family's journey to Oregon. Very comical how the father is way more concerned about his produce than the safety of his family.
LibraryThing member corinne331
A pioneer father transports his beloved fruit trees and his family to Oregon in the mid-nineteenth century. Based loosely on the life of Henderson Luelling.
LibraryThing member fullerl
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member rbelknap
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,
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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, Intermediate
Media: Oil Paints
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LibraryThing member rwheeler08
Genre: Historical Fiction
Critique of Genre: This is an excellent example of historical fiction because
Age: Primary, Intermediate
Critique of Setting:
LibraryThing member ggenao
This book cary the power of being determine and the value of growing and loving each other has a family
LibraryThing member TaraThompson
Good for teaching about the Oregon Trail.
(3-4th)
I enjoyed this book because it was witty and clever.
Fun to read in class.
LibraryThing member sunnyd77
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,
LibraryThing member lynzees
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.
LibraryThing member melissaboyd
this is a great book when teaching about the pioneers and traveling out west.
LibraryThing member JoseDelAguila
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.
LibraryThing member mchristman
This is a good example of historical fiction because the story is mostly imagined but it is based on real people and events. Many people crossed the country on the Oregon Trail and apples were brought to Oregon on a wagon, but Delicious and her family are fictional characters.

This is a good example
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of an integral setting because it is important to the story. The setting is the Oregon Trail, which created the conflict of trying to get the apples to Oregon.

Age Appropriateness: Intermediate
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LibraryThing member kairstream
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!
LibraryThing member emilylambeth
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
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is also great because it refers to many famous places along the Oregon Trail.
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LibraryThing member JoleneShafer
A young girl's view of the trip west. Her father's fruit orchard is the main focus. The journey is long and hard but rewarding at the end.
LibraryThing member ElaniRichards
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
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relative or friend. Perhaps reading a page, and then having them make their own illustration, before they see the illustrators version could be fun.
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LibraryThing member icedchai
Genre: This book is a good example of historical fiction because it tells the journey of a family on the Oregon Trail. The struggles the family faced were historically accurate, but the characters themselves are not portraying anyone specific at the time period.

Characterization: The character did a
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good job in developing the character of Delicious. When many of the people ran for cover of storms or other challenges, she would run out with her father to help protect their fruit trees. The author, in portraying this, gave the little girl this sense of innocence and a sense of determination and leadership.
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LibraryThing member ShantiR
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: 3-5th
Apples 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
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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.
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Awards

Language

ISBN

0439800110 / 9780439800112
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