A worried leaf who fears falling when autumn approaches resolves to find a different way down and races the wind to work with a friend to create a net, a kite, and a parachute in the hope of softening his landing. - (Baker & Taylor)
A worried leaf who fears falling when autumn approaches resolves to find a different way down and races the wind to work with a friend to create a net, a kite and a parachute in the hope of softening his landing. By the authors of The Gift Inside the Box. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)
Persistence and creativity can lead to amazing things, as Leif the leaf discovers in this lovely storybook from Allison Sweet Grant and Adam Grant, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Originals.
Leif is a leaf. A worried leaf. It is autumn, and Leif is afraid to fall. "All leaves fall in the fall," say the other leaves. But Leif is determined to find a different way down, and with his friend Laurel, he uses the resources around him to create a net, a kite, a parachute in hopes of softening his landing. The clock is ticking, the wind is blowing. What will happen when a gust of wind pulls Leif from his branch?
In a culture that prizes achievement, kids are often afraid to fail--failing to realize that some of the very ideas that don't work are steps along the path to ones that will. - (Penguin Putnam)
Allison Sweet Grant is a writer published in the New York Times and the Atlantic; she holds dual master's degrees from the University of Michigan. Adam Grant is a psychologist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Originals; his TED talk on original thinking has been viewed over 15 million times. After working together on a previous book, The Gift Inside the Box, Allison and Adam were excited to write this book to encourage kids to keep pursuing their creative ideas.
Merrilee Liddiard is an illustrator and designer who creates hand painted heirloom-rag dolls and is the author of Playful: Fun Projects to Make With + For Kids. She has contributed to Family Fun, Parent & Child, and La Petite magazines, has illustrated several picture books and middle grade novels, and is the creator of the popular Mermagblog.com. - (Penguin Putnam)
Booklist Reviews
Fall's arrived, and Leif, "a small green leaf with browning edges," knows this means soon falling from his oak-tree branch home. But Leif fears he'll hurt himself, so his friend Laurel, who's dropped in from another tree, suggests maybe they can make something to help. But their endeavors—a net of twigs, a vine strapped to the branch, a moss-and-bark kite, a spider-web parachute—bring more snafus than solutions, and optimism dwindles. Eventually, with a blustery gust, Leif's dreaded moment comes. However, what they considered unsuccessful attempts have collected below, unexpectedly creating a soft place to touch down safely below, and after which the pals cheerfully set off together. Liddiard's mixed-media illustrations, in appropriately autumnal hues, depict the expressive, anthropomorphized leaf characters, along with other creatures, such as inchworms and ladybugs, among the droll background details. While abundant repetition—particularly the refrain "All leaves fall in the fall!" by snarky fellow oak leaves—can distract, this highlights the rewards of supportive friendship and the worthy notion that even failures may have value. Preschool-Grade 1. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
School Library Journal Reviews
PreS-Gr 1—Lief is an oak leaf and he has a big problem; he is scared of falling when autumn comes—what if he skins his knee or bumps his head? The other leaves cannot believe such foolishness and keep admonishing him that "All leaves fall in the fall." Luckily, his friend Laurel is of a kinder disposition and tries to help him come up with clever ways of avoiding the impending disaster. At first they build a net with twigs, but the holes are too big so they toss it to the ground. They build a kite out of bark and moss so Lief can gently descend to the grass—alas, everything gets tangled and the kite ends up on the ground below. Every attempt they make is thwarted and a pile of discarded experiments grow beneath them. Then that fateful day arrives when a strong and cold wind blows Lief right off of that branch; but instead of skinning his knee or bumping his head, he lands pleasantly on his pile of rejected creations. VERDICT A clever and triumphant tale by the Grants (The Gift Inside the Box) showcasing how even discarded ideas can build a foundation for great things. Kids will love examining the mixed media and digital collage creations of Liddiard.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal.