One Green Apple
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ted Lewin
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date: 2006
Genre: Children’s Literature
One Green Apple is told from the first person perspective of Farah, a Muslim girl who is new in school and is adjusting to living in a new country, going to a new school, and learning a new language. On her second day of school, Farah and her class are going on a field trip to an apple orchard. Although unable to really communicate with her classmates, Farah starts to connect with them when making apple cider. She begins to realize that it takes many different types of apples to make the cider, which helps her realize that friendships are made up of all different types of children, who look different, act different, and come from different backgrounds. By the end of the story, friendships are beginning to develop between Farah and her classmates.
Thoughts and Reflection:
The line the grabbed me when reading this book was, “laughs sound the same, as at home,” because like the title of my blog, “We all smile in the same language,” it shows that even though Farah is a Muslim immigrant who does not speak English, she is making a connection with her peers and her new life in America. I really enjoyed this story and the use of apples and making apple cider as a metaphor for friendship and feeling like you belong.
Classroom Application:
This book can be used in the classroom for a personal narrative writer’s workshop activity. Students can think about a time when they felt left out or different and write a personal narrative describing that time and how they overcame it. The teacher can also create a text set with other books such as The Brand New Kid and Amazing Grace, reading those stories out loud with the class and having a whole group discussion on differences and acceptance. Students can create a chart together on how they are similar and different to one another and how they learn to accept one another for who they are as individuals.