Ages: 4 – 10

Loretta is a gardner, but she’s never harvested apples from her apple trees. Loretta’s son, Delmore, can catch and pitch like a pro, but he’s never hit a baseball fair and true. More than anything, Loretta wants to fill her baskets with round, rosy apples. More than anything, Delmore wants to send that ball sailing over the outfield to the trees beyond. In this book, Loretta and Delmore discover that sometimes it’s the long journey together that makes reaching goals so sweet.

In Deborah Turney Zagwyn’s distinctive world, the countryside is awash in color, and the seasons set the rhythm for life. This is the parallel story of mother Loretta and son Delmore. While Loretta works patiently to coax the first apples from her small orchard, Delmore ardently practices his swing, wanting only to hit a baseball “fair and true.” The poetic text and radiant watercolors effortlessly reveal how sweet are the fruits of perseverance, and that one of love’s best rewards is striving, side by side.

“With pictures of a spiral-peeled baseball and an apple in a baseball glove, as well as with wordplay, Zagwyn has created a wonderful read-aloud…A gentle tale of joy in accomplishment.” – School Library Journal

“This is such a satisfying, delicious book–a story about the separate passions of a mother and son, with ironic language that isn’t too tough for children to follow and reassuring rhythm and repetition that will make it an instant storytime favorite.” – Booklist