The Golden Apples
by Dan Yashinsky
illustrated by Ekaterina Khlebnikova
Running the Goat Books and Broadsides, 2023
ISBN 9781998802050 (sc)
$15.99, 62 pp, ages 6 – 9
runningthegoat.com
Dan Yashinsky is the founder of the Toronto Storytelling Festival and the co-founder of Storytelling Toronto. He has been telling stories for more than forty years and is the author of several books. The Golden Apples is his re-telling of an old Cape Breton Jack story but with a modern twist. In this version, Jack faces many challenges on his quest to find the golden bird who stole his father’s prized golden apples. The story includes a smart and beautiful princess, a helpful talking fox, lots of adventure, a lesson
learned, and a little magic, of course.
Classroom Connections: Coming from an oral tradition, The Golden Apples would make a great read-aloud in a primary classroom. It could be enjoyed and explored on its own or as part of a unit where various forms of folktales are investigated (myths, legends, fables, fairy tales, and tall tales). Predicting, questioning, and connecting are some of the reading strategies that lend themselves to such a thematic unit. For example, students could look for connections between the traditional opening sentences (e.g., Once upon a time… A long time ago…).
Review by Brenda Boreham.
This review is featured in Candian Teacher Magazine’s Spring 2024 issue.
