Apple

Am I the only person who found this book to be extremely creepy?! I remember reading the reviews and it sounded lovely. I love black and white art, so it looked like a great book about apples to add to my 12 month old’s collection.There’s an odd creepiness to the artwork, and the words used are horrifying, too! “HIDE, SECRET...” and by the end of the book it looks like they’re burying a body with a shovel. I’m not kidding! It just came across as very strange to me and I’ll be returning it.UPDATE: I never returned it, but stuck it high up on his bookshelf. Fast forward a couple years: he’s 2.5 now, and just recently started getting it down himself. He makes it through about 2 pages before setting it aside. Doesn’t grab his attention or keep him interested…. which is crazy because his favorite things in the world are APPLES 🍎Hope this helps! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Beautiful, simple board book with lovely illustrations.

A great first book. My toddler even has been able to memorize a few pages. It's great in that it is so simple but leaves so much room to talk about the story with your child. Plus it is really nice to look at. If you have a choice - get the hardcover version. It's sturdy and beautiful. Would make a great gift, too!

We have enjoyed reading this book together many times. It has taught my daughter a few new words. The book only has one word per page so we get to make up our own stories each time. Great images.

Great illustrations!

I combined this book with a kindergarten art project. The children loved the beautiful artwork - very unusual. It was great for a lesson on using color for impact and emphasis!

Excellent, vivid graphics. Great for first grade.

My toddler received this book as a gift while he was still an infant, and I've read it to him dozens of times since. On its face, it's a board book showing the full lifecycle of an apple and the seasons. Each two pages present a single word juxtaposed with a beautifully-rendered papercut image, introducing new vocabulary and concepts to small children. But that's merely the surface. Like the best children's books (the works of Maira Kalman, Maurice Sendak, and Shel Silverstein come to mind), this one contains deeper layers of meaning that will resonate with and move the adults that read it aloud to their children. That McClure manages to create a book that is both educational for children and haunting for adults is a true achievement. My son continues to request that I read it--"Apple, Apple..."--and I continue to be left in a deep state of reflection when it ends. Highly recommend.

Nikki McClure is a lovely artist and makes such unique, magical children's books. I plan on owning everything she releases!

Beautiful book. Simple and effective language. Beautiful illustrations, black, white and red.This was a great book to introduce an apple art activity.