Apples Note Pad - Note Pad Author:Ken Robbins "An apple is a wonderful thing -- a perfect handful of portable food, wrapped in a package of its very own skin." Robbins wraps his tribute to the popular fruit in a slim package of simple text and artistically rendered photographs. He begins by explaining the growing cycle, goes on to discuss the ways apples are enjoyed as food, and concludes w... more »ith some added notes on foods and beverages, common phrases, and bits of history and literature. Robbins's photographs, enhanced through hand tinting or soft focus, succeed in varying degrees. The first few pages show a static assembly of four apples on a white page, an odd view of a small tree trunk that doesn't demonstrate the accompanying point, and a blurred unlovely view of trees in blossom. Suddenly, in mid-book, the facing pages become beautiful, coherent units. An enlarged lush view of apple blossoms resembling a fine, soft painting faces an exquisite cutaway of the flower's stamens, pistil, and seed chamber. A vibrant, homely pot of apple chunks atop a stove faces a smaller bowl of thick applesauce. Appealing portraits of children enjoying the fruit and a few views of orchard workers and equipment round out the presentation, and the final page depicts 12 popular varieties.« less