Book Description
Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest of the leaves, but even the top students on the tree have worries. Can Lance conquer his fear of falling and just let go when the time comes for his final exam, or will he let his worries take over? In this funny and encouraging picture book, best-selling author Stef Wade (A Place for Pluto) tells an engaging story and deftly addresses social and emotional struggles many kids encounter each day...feeling anxious, wanting to be perfect, facing fears, etc. These themes combined with illustrator Jennifer Davison's delightful characters and rich autumnal colors make The Very Last Leaf a perfect book for the start of a new school year, the arrival of autumn, or any period of transition in life.
Review
I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.
That cute little leaf on the cover made me request this book and I am so glad that I did. Jennifer Davison did a beautiful job illustrating this picture book; the first thing we see in picture books are the illustrations so it's important to get it right. There is a simplicity to her work that is deceiving as it is full of detail that keeps the focus on Lance and the other leaves.
A picture book can't rely solely on illustrations - it's got to have a strong message and skilled writing to convey the message. Truly great picture books are those that have something for young children to older children and even to adults. Wade skillfully weaves twists of phrases that are common in our speech but add humor to the book. Younger readers may miss these but what an excellent way to begin to introduce them to these phrases and concepts.
This book has both great illustrations and an empowering message that is true for anyone, no matter their age.
As an educator, this book has a lot to offer in the classroom. At first glance, it's a wonderful way to bring literacy into a science lesson on the life cycle of plants, specifically leaves, as well as how plants work including concepts such as photosynthesis and a simple explanation as to why leaves change their color. Wade uses rich vocabulary like jealous, sturdy and quivering to explore the growth and emotions that Lance has. Finally, this book is an excellent choice to strengthen social-emotional skills. Whether we are 4, 10, 15, 35 or 72, we all have moments of the unknown that can cause us to hesitate out of fear, which is where Lance finds himself when Autumn comes. I appreciate that Wade doesn't just send the message to "face your fear and jump" but to talk about your worry, prepare and then leap with confidence, all in a gentle, encouraging way. Certainly this is a great book to open the discussion for preschoolers as they are faced with so many new experiences in their world that can cause them concern. If we examine childhood in full, we will see that this is true for our middle grade students, our pre-teens, and our teenagers. I could see this book being used for all of those ages, with varying depth of discussion.
There is one element that I find slightly confusing in this book. The book begins with a reference to Lance's "first day of school in the Spring". This will be confusing to young readers as we start school in the fall here in the states. It makes perfect sense when you think about the life cycle of a leaf. I am not sure if this book would be great for fall when we talk about leaves changing color and falling or for spring when we talk about life cycles.
As I first began to read this book, I had a thought that this would be a wonderful graduation present for a high school senior, much in the way that Oh the Places You'll Go has been used. As much as we would like to think that life is smooth sailing, we know that there are bumps and potholes along the journey. What an inspiring message to send that you believe a graduate has done thus far and will continue to do so.
A picture book can't rely solely on illustrations - it's got to have a strong message and skilled writing to convey the message. Truly great picture books are those that have something for young children to older children and even to adults. Wade skillfully weaves twists of phrases that are common in our speech but add humor to the book. Younger readers may miss these but what an excellent way to begin to introduce them to these phrases and concepts.
This book has both great illustrations and an empowering message that is true for anyone, no matter their age.
As an educator, this book has a lot to offer in the classroom. At first glance, it's a wonderful way to bring literacy into a science lesson on the life cycle of plants, specifically leaves, as well as how plants work including concepts such as photosynthesis and a simple explanation as to why leaves change their color. Wade uses rich vocabulary like jealous, sturdy and quivering to explore the growth and emotions that Lance has. Finally, this book is an excellent choice to strengthen social-emotional skills. Whether we are 4, 10, 15, 35 or 72, we all have moments of the unknown that can cause us to hesitate out of fear, which is where Lance finds himself when Autumn comes. I appreciate that Wade doesn't just send the message to "face your fear and jump" but to talk about your worry, prepare and then leap with confidence, all in a gentle, encouraging way. Certainly this is a great book to open the discussion for preschoolers as they are faced with so many new experiences in their world that can cause them concern. If we examine childhood in full, we will see that this is true for our middle grade students, our pre-teens, and our teenagers. I could see this book being used for all of those ages, with varying depth of discussion.
There is one element that I find slightly confusing in this book. The book begins with a reference to Lance's "first day of school in the Spring". This will be confusing to young readers as we start school in the fall here in the states. It makes perfect sense when you think about the life cycle of a leaf. I am not sure if this book would be great for fall when we talk about leaves changing color and falling or for spring when we talk about life cycles.
As I first began to read this book, I had a thought that this would be a wonderful graduation present for a high school senior, much in the way that Oh the Places You'll Go has been used. As much as we would like to think that life is smooth sailing, we know that there are bumps and potholes along the journey. What an inspiring message to send that you believe a graduate has done thus far and will continue to do so.
I gave this book: ★★★★★
★ = I did not like it ★★ = It was okay ★★★ = I liked it ★★★★ = I really liked it ★★★★★ = I loved it
No comments:
Post a Comment