The Apple Argument
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In the Garden of Eden, as soon as God buried Vegetables in the ground, and put Fruits on trees and vines, the Fruits began to argue among themselves. "I am hardiest,â said Apple. "I am sweetest," said Grape. "Enough!" said God, sending two caretakers to the Garden. "Eat me!" the Fruits called to the caretakers. "Listen to the Fruits," the snake hissed. Wanting things to be easy was the first real problem in the Garden. It was much easier for the caretakers to pick the Fruits than to dig up the Vegetables, so the caretakers listened to the snake. One of the lessons of this story: Growing food begins with hard work.
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Jane Yolen lives in Massachusetts and has written more than 400 books across all genres and age ranges, including the Sydney Taylor Honor book Miriam at the River. In 2022 she was named the The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Winner. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century.
