Mr. Peabody's Apples facts for kids
Book cover for Mr. Peabody's Apples
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| Author | Madonna |
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| Illustrator | Loren Long |
| Cover artist | Loren Long |
| Country | United States |
| Subject | Moral |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Set in | 1949 |
| Publisher | Callaway |
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Publication date
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November 10, 2003 |
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| Pages | 40 |
| ISBN | 978-0-670-05883-9 |
| OCLC | 62795988 |
| LC Class | PZ7.M26573 |
Mr. Peabody's Apples is a picture book written by the famous American singer Madonna. It was released on November 10, 2003, by Callaway Arts & Entertainment. The book tells a story with an important lesson, which was inspired by a very old tale (300 years old!) by Rabbi Baal Shem Tov. Madonna heard this story from her teacher of Kabbalah, a type of Jewish mysticism.
In the book, the main character, Mr. Peabody, faces false rumors spread by a young boy. He then teaches the boy a valuable lesson about words. Loren Long created the pictures for Mr. Peabody's Apples. He got ideas from American regionalist painters and made the characters look like real people. The book came out in over 150 countries and 36 languages. It was Madonna's second children's book, after The English Roses.
Story Summary
Mr. Peabody is a history teacher who organizes baseball games every Saturday. After each game, he cleans the field with a student named Billy Little. Then, Mr. Peabody walks home through Happville's main street. He always picks the shiniest apple from Mr. Funkadeli's market and puts it in his pocket.
One day, a student named Tommy Tittlebottom sees Mr. Peabody do this. Tommy thinks Mr. Peabody is not paying for the apple. He tells his friends that Mr. Peabody is stealing apples. Soon, this rumor spreads all over town.
The next Saturday, Mr. Peabody wonders why no one shows up for the baseball game. Little Billy walks up to him and tells him everything. Mr. Peabody takes Billy to Mr. Funkadeli's market. There, Billy realizes that Mr. Peabody pays for the apples every Saturday morning when he picks up his milk.
Billy is surprised and goes to find Tommy. He explains everything to Tommy. Later that day, Tommy goes to Mr. Peabody's house and says he is sorry. He asks how he can make things right. Mr. Peabody tells Tommy to meet him at the bleachers with a feather pillow.
At the bleachers, Mr. Peabody tells Tommy to cut open the pillow. All the feathers fly away across the field. Mr. Peabody then asks Tommy to go and pick up all the feathers. Tommy thinks this is impossible. Mr. Peabody then reminds Tommy that it is just as impossible to undo the harm caused by spreading the rumor that he was a thief.
How the Book Was Made
In 2003, the American singer Madonna signed a deal with Callaway Arts & Entertainment. She released her first children's book, The English Roses. This book was translated into 42 languages and sold in over 100 countries. It became a number one best-seller on The New York Times Best Seller list.
After The English Roses was so successful, Madonna started working on her second book, Mr. Peabody's Apples. In the book's thank-you section, Madonna dedicated it to "teachers everywhere". She also included a moral lesson about choosing your words carefully. She explained that the story was inspired by a 300-year-old tale. She heard it from her Kabbalah teacher and wanted to share its main idea.
Callaway and Madonna wanted the story to take place in the 1940s. They imagined it as a day in a small town, told like a movie. A newspaper called The Times said the book felt like the good-hearted world of Jimmy Stewart movies, like It's a Wonderful Life. It brought to mind apple pie, picket fences, Little League baseball, milkshakes, and, of course, right and wrong.
Loren Long drew the pictures for the book. He was inspired by American regionalist artists and a realistic art style. Mr. Peabody's character was based on a car mechanic from Long's hometown of Joplin, Missouri. Billy Little was based on Long's own son, Griffith. For Tommy Tittlebottom, the boy who spreads rumors, Long used a local person named Jonathan Whitney as a model. Long saw Whitney's playful and sometimes naughty nature, comparing him to the cartoon character Dennis the Menace. Whitney's mother first had doubts about her son being used, but she agreed because Madonna is known as a good mother.
Mr. Peabody's Apples was released on November 10, 2003. It came out in over 150 countries and 36 languages around the world. To help promote the book, Madonna worked with Audible online stores and Apple Music. The promotion included two interviews with Madonna on Radio KOL. There was also a short preview of Madonna reading the story on AOL. The first printing of the book had 130,000 copies. The publisher, Nicholas Callaway, said the book would be available online, in print, and as an audio book at the same time. Madonna attended different events to launch the book. She read parts of it to live audiences, including at a book fair at Montclair Kimberley Academy. She also appeared on TV talk shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and Late Show with David Letterman to talk about the book.
See also
In Spanish: Mr. Peabody's Apples para niños
