The Apple Pie Tree | by Zoe Hall

Welcome to Book Root Readings, your channel for classic, nature, and living children's books. Click the subscribe button to be notified of new readings. Enjoy the story! The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall illustrated by Sherry Halpern For Ma and her mile-high apple pies. S.H. My sister and I have a tree that grows the best part of apple pie. Can you guess what that is? Apples! And every year, we watch our apple tree grow. In winter, our apple tree is brown and bare. But in spring, leaves grow on every branch. Look! Two robins are building a nest in our tree. Tiny pink flower buds appear on the branches. The robins chirp loudly, guarding their eggs. Just when the flower buds open, baby robins break through the eggshells. Now our tree is covered with blossoms, and the baby robins begin to grow feathers. When breezes blow, the petals fall to the ground. Mama and Papa Robin teach their little birds to fly. Some days it rains, and the wind blows hard. But our apple tree is strong, and the robins are safe in the branches. Small green apples grow where the blossoms used to be. Soon it is summer. The apples get bigger and bigger. The little robins have grown up, but they visit every day. The branches bend down low. They are covered with big round apples. Now it is autumn. The apples are red and ready to be picked. We fill our basket to the brim. Mom and Dad help us peel the apples, cut them up, and pile them into a pie shell. Then we sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top. Mom puts the pan in the oven. At last, the pie is cooked and ready to be eaten. Our tree has grown an apple pie. It smells so good, and it tastes delicious. There's nothing as good as an apple pie you grew yourself. How bees help our apples grow. One. Inside each flower are tiny stems. Some tipped with yellow pollen, and some with sticky tops. Nectar deep inside smells sweet. Two. The bright petals and sweet nectar attract bees. Pollen collects on the bees' bodies. Three. As the bees fly from flower to flower, pollen clings to the sticky tops. This is called pollination. Four. The petals fall off, and the base of the flower begins to swell. This is the beginning of an apple.