The Apple Gatherer — Steven Schnur

On a crisp autumn day two centuries ago, a barefoot, bent old man hurries along a country lane in New England carrying an old pair of shoes stuffed with wild apples. Concealed in his coat and pants pockets, in his shirt and under his shapeless hat are many other treasures he has discovered that bright fall day, treasures nature leaves for all to find--if one has the eyes and the heart to see and value them. "The Apple Gatherer" has both. Living simply, he has uncovered the deepest secrets of the woods and has learned to live in harmony and contentment with nature.

"Farmers think all the harvest is in the fields," the Apple Gatherer tells the young narrator of this gentle tale of awakening to the glories of the natural world, "but that ain't the half of it. The woods, son. There's riches there in every season." And to prove it, he pulls from his pockets, shirt, and hat a dazzling array of such riches. In the end the young narrator gains a new appreciation not only of nature but of the passage of time.

An ideal introduction to the wonders of nature that so captivated the author of "Walden, " Henry David Thoreau, "The Apple Gatherer will leave its young readers awestruck by the splendor and mystery that exist all around them.