FOLKS CALL ME APPLESEED JOHN

From Glass (Charles T. McBiddle, 1993, etc.), an amalgam of traditional stories about Johnny ``Appleseed'' Chapman, a charismatic figure with a real way with words. In a first-person narration, Johnny relates howupon the occasion of his half-brother Nathaniel's visithe had to canoe to Fort Pitt for provisions, but accidently floated past his destination and had to make his way back through snowy woods. His adventures with animals and Native Americans are fun enough, but even more entertaining is the way they're told, with a real old-time, storytelling flair, full of ten-dollar words, fancy figures of speech, and philosophical asides, all comically cobbled together. The same style is beautifully carried over into the rough but sturdy oil illustrationsGlass's most mature work yetin which messy marks and sloppy patches of color become well-defined figures by means of rigid outlines. The pictures depict large, sympathetic characters who cotton to clumsy postures; Johnny looks like an overgrown adolescent with bit feet, long fingers, and a face that expresses sheer good will. A detailed biography follows the story. Charming book, charming hero. (Picture book/folklore. 6-10)