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Leaves

Illustrated by David Ezra Stein
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Hardcover
$17.99 US
8.63"W x 9.81"H x 0.35"D   | 12 oz | 40 per carton
On sale Aug 16, 2007 | 32 Pages | 9780399246364
Age 2-5 years | Up to Kindergarten
It's a young bear's first autumn, and the falling leaves surprise him. He tries to put them back on the trees, but it doesn't work. Eventually, he gets sleepy and burrows into the fallen leaves for a long nap. When he wakes up, it's spring, and there are suddenly brand-new leaves all around, welcoming him.

Graceful illustrations and a childlike main character offer the perfect way to talk with children about the wonder of the changing seasons.

  • WINNER
    Ezra Jack Keats New Writer/Illustrator Award
To Bear, in his first year, everything is new. He lives on a tiny island with a few trees, flowers, berries, and butterflies, and he dances with joy—until he sees a leaf fall to the ground. He wonders, "Are you okay?" More leaves fall. "He tried to catch them and put them back on . . . but it was not the same." As he watches the leaves fall and blanket the ground, he grows sleepy, finds a cave—like hole, fills it with leaves, and burrows into it to sleep away the winter. In spring, he joyfully welcomes the tiny leaves unfolding on the trees. The narrative works seamlessly with the freewheeling, expressive artwork. Created with bamboo pen, the energetic, sensitive drawings are tinted with subtle shades of color. Just as Stein uses white space effectively in the art, he uses "white space" well in the spare, precise text, leaving some details for children to notice in the pictures alone, such as how the leaves have been stuck back on the trees by spearing them onto the living twigs. Teachers will find this picture book a natural for curriculum units on leaves or hibernation, and children will enjoy seeing fall anew through the eyes of a big-hearted character more innocent than themselves. Wonderfully simple and simply wonderful for sharing with children. —Booklist, starred review
David Ezra Stein is the Caldecott Honor illustrator and author of INTERRUPTING CHICKEN and its sequel, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN AND THE ELEPHANT OF SURPRISE, which the Wall Street Journal called "a celebration of love and language." The next in the series, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST, will publish in Fall 2021. David is also the creator of DINOSAUR KISSES, I'M MY OWN DOG, and many other award-winning picture books. His picture book LEAVES won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice, and a School Library Journal Best Book. He lives in New York. Visit David at davidezrastein.com. View titles by David Ezra Stein

About

It's a young bear's first autumn, and the falling leaves surprise him. He tries to put them back on the trees, but it doesn't work. Eventually, he gets sleepy and burrows into the fallen leaves for a long nap. When he wakes up, it's spring, and there are suddenly brand-new leaves all around, welcoming him.

Graceful illustrations and a childlike main character offer the perfect way to talk with children about the wonder of the changing seasons.

Awards

  • WINNER
    Ezra Jack Keats New Writer/Illustrator Award

Praise

To Bear, in his first year, everything is new. He lives on a tiny island with a few trees, flowers, berries, and butterflies, and he dances with joy—until he sees a leaf fall to the ground. He wonders, "Are you okay?" More leaves fall. "He tried to catch them and put them back on . . . but it was not the same." As he watches the leaves fall and blanket the ground, he grows sleepy, finds a cave—like hole, fills it with leaves, and burrows into it to sleep away the winter. In spring, he joyfully welcomes the tiny leaves unfolding on the trees. The narrative works seamlessly with the freewheeling, expressive artwork. Created with bamboo pen, the energetic, sensitive drawings are tinted with subtle shades of color. Just as Stein uses white space effectively in the art, he uses "white space" well in the spare, precise text, leaving some details for children to notice in the pictures alone, such as how the leaves have been stuck back on the trees by spearing them onto the living twigs. Teachers will find this picture book a natural for curriculum units on leaves or hibernation, and children will enjoy seeing fall anew through the eyes of a big-hearted character more innocent than themselves. Wonderfully simple and simply wonderful for sharing with children. —Booklist, starred review

Author

David Ezra Stein is the Caldecott Honor illustrator and author of INTERRUPTING CHICKEN and its sequel, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN AND THE ELEPHANT OF SURPRISE, which the Wall Street Journal called "a celebration of love and language." The next in the series, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST, will publish in Fall 2021. David is also the creator of DINOSAUR KISSES, I'M MY OWN DOG, and many other award-winning picture books. His picture book LEAVES won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice, and a School Library Journal Best Book. He lives in New York. Visit David at davidezrastein.com. View titles by David Ezra Stein