One Green Apple by Eve Bunting

Illustrated by Ted Lewin

This first person narrative describes a field trip to an apple orchard that Farah takes on her second day of school in her new country. Farah understands much more of what she sees than her teacher and classmates give her credit for. They don't understand why she chooses a green apple when the others are picking ripe red apples, and one classmate tries to stop her from adding her apple to the cider press. The apple becomes a metaphor for aculturation and a symbol of triumph when she says her first "outside myself" word.

I've been a foreign student without any knowledge of the language and this book rings true. Bunting is a master at packing a lot of meaning and depth into sparse language. The beautiful watercolor illustrations capture the expressions of the students superbly.

Recommended Levels: 1-6

SLJ, starred in Booklist.