“Anything I need, my husband can make or invent,” Christine says with a casual shrug. She is the photographer for the Meet the Applemans book series, and for her, it’s normal that Craig can design a system of pipes to redirect rainwater from the roof of their home out to her huge garden. That he can make stylish patio furniture from old car parts. That their basement is the envy of the coolest of coffee shops, with its rusted corrugated steel paneling, its pillars wrapped in vintage lariats, and the whole room cozily lit with her uniquely artistic lights. The whole family invents, fixes and refurbishes. Everywhere I look, their creativity smiles back.
When I fussed about needing rurally-inspired containers to hold the Meet the Applemans book series, Craig dug out some old wooden pallets from behind the shed that had been used to deliver boxes of mineral for the cattle. Lacking a pallet breaker tool, he quickly welded one up. After breaking up the pallets, he planed the boards and built perfect little boxes for the books. Afterwards, he showed me a system he had welded together so he could haul long irrigation pipes with his pickup truck. There are literally drawers of tools he has made in the ranch shop. Research and development is a daily practice on the ranch.
I’ve been asked what makes this book series different from those that bigger companies offer, and why anyone would buy the Meet the Applemans books when they can easily purchase from the larger corporations. The short answer is that I believe people will want these books for the same reasons I am compelled to write them! For the same reasons Christine keeps her camera with her whether she is out chopping wood or hunting for mountain lions. The beauty of the Midwestern landscape and the innovative, self-sufficient spirit is one to be celebrated. Children with this lifestyle should be authentically represented in books, and all children need to see that the idea of being a ‘maker’ can include them.
In the end, whether it’s at school or on the ranch, what you create has to do the job it was created for. I’ve been using the Meet the Applemans books for years to help young readers, with good success. Solid research and teaching practices have been carefully incorporated into each book. But every learning program is only as good as the enthusiasm the teacher brings to it. My love for these people and the country they live in is reflected when I teach. It is my hope that those who use these books will have the same respect and enthusiasm for this lifestyle and the values it represents.
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