GENRE: STEM/STEAM, Non-Fiction, Biography
WORDS: 718
Query:
Dear PBParty Agents & Editors,
I’m pleased to share my 718-word nonfiction picture book, THE APPLE HUNTER: How Tom Brown Saved America’s Forgotten Apple Trees.
Junaluska. Harper’s Seedling. Appalachian Limbertwig. These aren’t apples you’ll find in a grocery store, they’re apples that were almost lost forever.
In the early 2000s, Tom Brown set out across the mountains of North Carolina with a question: What happened to all the apples people used to grow? Following old stories, hand-drawn maps, and neighbors’ memories, he drove winding back roads and knocked on farmhouse doors, searching for forgotten apple trees hidden in fields and forests. But why do these lost apples matter today? Because every apple tells a story – and without people like Tom, those stories and apples (with their one-of-a-kind tastes) could vanish for good.
THE APPLE HUNTER is a true story of curiosity, persistence, and real-life treasure
hunting, inviting young readers to see conservation not as a distant idea, but as an adventure they can be part of. Perfect for fans of nature, food, and discovery, this book pairs well with Applesauce Day by Lisa J. Amstutz, Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmermann, and Wonderfully Wild by Jessica Stremer.
My family tends a small apple orchard, where I’ve learned firsthand the joys (and challenges) of growing and caring for fruit trees. When I’m not helping in the family orchard, I’m caring for two young children and writing! I’m an active member of SCBWI Iowa and a participant in the 12×12 Challenge, Courage to Create/The Verge, and Inked Voices. My manuscript, Because of a Dog’s Whiskers, won the 2022 Ann Whitford Paul Award for Most Promising Picture Book (Fiction).
Thank you again for your time and consideration!
Excerpt:
In the store, apples sit in rows…
shiny, red, yellow, and green.
But apples weren’t always so ordinary.
Once, they came striped, speckled, and spotted.
With names like Candy Stripe, Junaluska, and Royal Lemon.
Some crunched like carrots.
Others tasted like spice cake, citrus, or roses.
What happened to them?
Many were lost.
Their trees cut down.
Paved over.
Forgotten.
Until one man named Tom Brown began hunting for them.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
I first learned of Tom Brown through an article my mom sent me. She had recently started a family apple orchard, and we were both fascinated by grafting and the many apple varieties you could grow.
I had no idea how many varieties of apples existed. Like many people, I thought there were three: red, green, and yellow. Tom’s story opened my eyes to a world of apples with names like Junaluska, Harper’s Seedling, and Appalachian Limbertwig.
His work inspired me to look closer, ask questions, and celebrate nature. I hope this book sparks that same curiosity in young readers.
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