Granny Smith Was Not an Apple: The Story of Orchardist Maria Ann Smith
by Sarah Glenn Fortson; illus. by Kris Aro McLeod
Primary    Peter Pauper    32 pp.
9/23    9781441339447    $16.99

The tart green apple is a relatively recent variety, and we have one unsung woman from culinary and agricultural history to thank. Fortson’s picture-book biography introduces the woman whose combination of skill, determination, and luck produced the Granny Smith apple. Maria Ann Smith’s journey begins as the Industrial Revolution in England takes away migrant farm labor opportunities for her to support her family. Immigrating to Australia as a skilled laborer, Smith eventually buys her own orchard, where a strange new apple grows out of a compost pile. The narrative of Smith’s life story is interspersed with inset text boxes addressing topics such as apple grafting and Australian history (some of which may be hard for readers to follow). Detailed watercolor illustrations provide glimpses into the life of a migrant farm worker and orchardist. Back matter includes a timeline of Smith’s life and an author’s note on the effects of British colonization on Australian Indigenous communities.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.