Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benét wrote the poem Johnny Appleseed in 1933 as a tribute to the American pioneer, John Chapman. Born in the 1770s in Massachusetts, Chapman drifted down the Ohio River with two canoes lashed together and loaded with apple seeds. For more than forty years, he wandered the Ohio River valley preaching from the Bible and distributing apple seeds, saplings, and medicines to the settlers in the valley as well as to the local native Indian tribes. It is said that Chapman's ragged clothes, religious fervor, and tireless enthusiasm are what contributed to making him the legendary folk hero known as Johnny Appleseed.S. D. Schindler's magnificent interpretation of the Benéts' poem, filled with humor and beautiful details, brings to life the story of the man we know as Johnny Appleseed, an independent spirit who followed his dreams.
