Fletcher and the Falling Leaves [Hardcover]

Julia Rawlinson (Author), Tiphanie Beeke (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

It's autumn, and Fletcher's favorite tree is slowly changing colors and losing its leaves.

Fletcher is very worried.

He tells the tree he'll help. But when the very last leaf falls to the ground, Fletcher feels as though he's let down his friend . . .

. . . until the first day of winter, when Fletcher sees that his tree has turned into a shining, glittering surprise.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3–This potent synthesis of art and prose conveys a child's first awareness of the changing seasons with reverence and wonder. Fletcher, a tiny fox, is concerned when his favorite tree turns brown. His mother tells him, Don't worry, it's only autumn, but the tree hardly seems fine to Fletcher. As its leaves fall and flutter away, the youngster struggles in vain to catch and reattach them. When only one leaf remains, he does his level best to secure it to the limb, but eventually the stem dries up and the leaf pops off. Mournful and confused, he carries it home and takes it to bed with him. Still worried about his tree, he wakes up the next morning to find that it has undergone a sweet and satisfying transformation. Beeke's resplendent watercolors work beautifully with the book's tone, content, layout, and design. Picture books about nature sometimes suffer from cloying, excessively pastoral language or imagery; this rare example succumbs to neither. A first purchase for every collection.–Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. When the leaves on his favorite tree turn brown and begin to drop, Fletcher, a young fox, worries that the tree is sick. Although he tries his best to help the tree, the last leaf finally falls. The next day when Fletcher visits the tree, he sees a magical sight that convinces him that falling leaves don't signify the tree's demise. Rawlinson's carefully worded text is superbly matched by Beeke's impressionistic watercolors. Fletcher's character is clearly evident in his distinct facial features and body language, and the magical change of the season is accentuated as the scenery goes from soft, hazy earth tones to cool white and blue-green. For the scene in which Fletcher beholds the "magical sight" of the tree covered with ice, sparkle has been glued to the pages; the effect will make children gasp with delight. Given such a strong debut, the unforgettable Fletcher is primed for more picture books as he discovers the ways of the world. Randall Enos
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061134015
• ISBN-13: 978-0061134012
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, beautiful illustrations, September 19, 2006

By 

youbink (LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful book.Fletcher is a young fox that has noticed the forest is changing as the summer comes to an end.He has a favorite tree.When he sees the way the leaves are changing he thinks that the tree is sick.He does everything he can think of to help the tree keep it's leaves.Of course in the end he can't save the leaves and he goes home very sad with the last leave that was on the tree. The next day he wakes up and goes to his tree and is mesmarized by the sight of the tree.It's beautiful it's covered in icicles and shining in the morning sunlight.He asks the tree if it is okay and the tree in a sense answers him. The wind blows and the tree shakes and the icicles tingle.To Fletcher it sounds like the tree is laughing and he takes this to mean that the tree is alright. The illustrations are wonderful and the last one of the tree with the icicles is fabulous it is done with a type of glitter.Very pretty effect.I very much recommend this book

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Educational for Children, October 9, 2006

By 

FictionAddiction.NET - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves (Hardcover)

A change of seasons is in the air. Fletcher the fox doesn't understand and now he's worried.

He sees his favorite tree changing colors and losing leaves. What else would a good friend do but try to help?

Fletcher tries to save the tree's leaves but they insist on falling to the ground. He tries to catch them and return them to their owner but that doesn't work.

Even the other creatures of the forest aren't cooperating. A squirrel is happy to have Fletcher's friend's leaves in his nest. A porcupine is thrilled to have the leaves to help keep him warm.

Fletcher feels like he's failing his friend the tree. He only manages to save one leaf and promises to take good care of it.

His curiosity over what is happening to his friend and his concern that something is going terribly wrong leads Fletcher back to the tree. What awaits him is something he never expected.

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves is an excellent lesson in the change of seasons for children. The illustrations are very unique and resemble beautiful watercolor paintings.

The words are easy to follow for young readers. The best part is, it's a great story for parents to read to children of every age and Fletcher's story will surely become a child's favorite.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book -- love the art and the message!, January 3, 2007

By 

Beth from NJ "Noah and Fin's mommy" (Long Valley, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves (Hardcover)

This is a great book to teach the little ones about the change in seasons (from Fall to Winter). It also teaches about caring for others. My son loved it and the art is really beautiful. Great book!