The Apple Tree's Discovery

by Peninnah Schram, Rachayl Eckstein Davis, Wendy W. Lee (Illustrator)

Overview

A little apple tree in a forest of oaks begs God for stars like those glimmering on the branches of the great oak trees beside her. As the seasons pass, she learns to appreciate her own gifts and realizes that it’s possible to find a star in each of us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761351320
Publisher:	Kar-Ben Publishing
Publication date:	01/28/2012
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Peninnah Schram is a storyteller, teacher, author, a recording artist, and a professor at Stern College of Yeshiva University. She is the author of many books of Jewish folktales and has recorded a CD of folktales, The Minstrel and the Storyteller. She has received many awards for her work including the Covenant Award for Outstanding Jewish Educator, The Circle of Excellence Award, and the National Storytellers Network Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rachayl Eckstein Davis is a storyteller, creative dramatist and educator. She received her BA in Education from Stern College where she was Peninnah Schram’s first student in a Storytelling program conducted at the 92nd Street Y. She received her MA in Educational Theater from New York University. Rachayl taught pre-school, ran a Hebrew Library program, directed dramatic productions in a Yeshiva high school, and for many years was a mainstay on the educational staff at Camp Morasha. She and her husband Hillel are planning to make aliya to live in Jerusalem in Fall, 2011.

Wendy Lee is a freelance illustrator based in Queens, New York. She has a B.F.A from Fashion Institute of Technology. She creates her cute and whimsical illustrations in watercolor.

Editorial Reviews

"Well-known author and storyteller Peninnah Schram reminds us in her afterword to this charming fable: 'To find the star in the apple, you must turn it on its side and cut it in half. We must look hard to find the beautiful star in each of us, and sometimes it just takes a change of direction.' When a little apple tree notices that stars in the sky appear to be hanging from branches of the taller oak trees, she asks God to grant her wish to also have stars. Although God notes that her 'fragrant blossoms fill the air' and her 'branches offer a resting place for birds' she covets only what others have. But when God causes a wind to blow and suddenly her delicious apples hit the ground, they split open, exposing the beautiful star within. This sweet parable about appreciating God’s gifts and understanding our own uniqueness is a universal tale. It will be particularly memorable if you remember to read it before you slice those Rosh Hashanah apples — by turning them on their sides and finding that elusive star."--Jewish Journal

From the Publisher

A familiar "star inside the apple" story is reworked to include the themes of self-worth and confidence, couched in a divine message. Surrounded by large oaks, a lonely little apple tree looks up and sees the twinkling of stars, which appear to be hanging from the tops of the oak branches. With each passing season, she begs God for the same: "I want more than anything in the world to have stars. Then I would feel truly special." Even as her own fragrant blossoms turn into tasty apples, little apple tree persists in her wish, while God encourages patience. It is only after God becomes exasperated and creates a hard wind that forces some apples to fall and split open, revealing their own internal "star," that the little apple tree realizes and happily accepts her own attributes. Watercolor paintings of a saccharine forest environment with smiling critters and grinning tree trunks dilute the increasingly strenuous responses from God, who waits for some implied recognition of his overall message. And while the apple tree finally understands, children will require some follow through to completely comprehend the forced moral, which is spelled out in the afterword. Strained. (Picture book/religion. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews