Johnny Appleseed is an American legend who was born in 1774. He was a kind boy who loved nature and animals. He loved plants and trees. But most of all, Johnny loved apples.

Johnny learned how to grow apple orchards. An orchard is land with a lot of fruit trees planted close together.

Johnny wanted to go west to help the pioneers. Pioneers were people who moved west to build new homes and start a new life. Johnny wanted to plant apple trees for these families.

Johnny began to walk west, taking his apple seeds with him. He did not wear shoes, even in the winter. He wore a potato sack with holes cut out for his arms instead of regular clothes. He wore a tin pot on his head that doubled as both his hat and his cooking pot. Johnny did not care how he looked, he only cared about being nice and helping others.

Johnny walked for hundreds of miles. He slept outside but he did not make a fire, even if he was cold. Sometimes bugs fell into the fire and he didn’t think that he had the right to hurt another creature just because he felt cold. He was kind to all animals (including bugs) and the animals liked and trusted him.

Once, Johnny found an injured wolf with its leg caught in a trap. Johnny saved the wolf and fixed its leg. The wolf became Johnny’s friend and followed him everywhere after that.

Johnny planted seeds all over the Midwest, from Ohio to Illinois. He planted the seeds as he walked. He also bought some land upon which he grew young apple trees. He sold many of the trees he grew to the pioneers and taught them how to care for the trees. He sold apple seeds, too. The trees and their apples made people happy.

Everyone liked Johnny Appleseed. He liked to tell stories to both adults and children. He told great stories about his adventures. He was welcome everywhere and often invited over for dinner in the towns he visited.

Johnny helped plant apple trees all over the Midwest. He planted lots of apple trees and helped pioneers learn how to plant them, too. Today, whenever you see an apple tree, it may be one that old Johnny Appleseed planted years and years ago.