We’d like to mention the many wonderful apple stories that are so worth passing along to new generations. A few of my favorites are “Idunn’s Apples of Youth” as marvelously retold and illustrated by the D’Aulaires’ in their Norse Myths collection, p. 87 – 90. The D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths also contains a fine account of the golden apples of the garden of the Hesperides (the ones that Heracles obtained by tricking both Atlas and a dragon), p. 139 – 140, and “The Apple of Love and the Apples of Discord,” p. 178 – 180 (tales of Atlanta’s race and Paris’ unfortunate choice).
Also worth sharing are accounts of Leominster, Massachusetts’ own John Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed.
And if your garden if fortunate enough to contain peach trees (or simply because it’s a good story), consider introducing the youngsters to the very famous and rambunctious Chinese tale of Monkey and the Peaches of Immortality.
D’Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin. Book of Greek Myths, New York: Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House), 1962, rpt. 2003.
D’Aulaire. Ingri and Edgar Parin. Book of Norse Myths. New York: Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House, 1967, rpt. 1986.