The Little Yellow Leaf [Hardcover]

Carin Berger (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

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

As all the other leaves float off and fly past, Little Yellow Leaf thinks, I'm not ready yet.

As the seasons change all around, Little Yellow Leaf holds on to the tree. Still not ready.

Will Little Yellow Leaf ever be ready?

This is a story for anyone who has ever been afraid of facing the unknown—and a celebration of the friends who help us take the leap.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—The human capacity for volition and fear of the unknown is central to this tale. A lone yellow leaf clings to a giant oak tree and watches the unfolding drama of winter's approach, refusing to let go of his branch. A "riot of fiery leaves" swirls to the ground, apples grow "musky" and pumpkins ripen, geese fly south, and eventually snow flurries fill the air, but still the leaf holds fast. Finally, he spies a small scarlet leaf attached high above that invites him to let go. Together, they soar away and join in a dance with the wind. In Berger's eye-catching collage illustrations, pieced background papers in shades of yellow, green, blue, and beige show off stylized forms of naked tree branches, leaves, and sun created by clipping and pasting (sometimes tiny) segments of various papers—faded, lined ledger, and graph paper; colored and printed magazine pages—and adding touches of paint. It seems the message to be inferred from this slight anthropomorphic tale is that feelings of indecision can be overcome by heeding the encouragement of another. Some parents may be inclined to disagree.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, Ohio
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From Booklist

Berger’s latest picture book focuses on a single leaf that is just not ready to leave the branch of its great oak tree. While other leaves swirl down, this leaf keeps holding on as apples grew musky, pumpkins heavy, and flocks of geese took wing. Complementing her own concise, appealing text, Berger’s inventive collage-based illustrations range from a closeup of the leaf that reveals words and letters on it to an image of the sun that seems to have been formed from a mosaic of bricks. They give a sense of both close-up textures and the wider reach of the world. Eventually the season turns to blue-gray winter, and still the leaf holds on tight. It is not until the leaf spies a scarlet flash high up on an icy branch that it can contemplate the next step. Over the next three spreads—quirky, gorgeous landscapes that incorporate lined paper, graph paper, newspaper articles, and water bills—the two leaves soar through the skies, off and away and away and away, together. Preschool-Grade 2. --Abby Nolan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061452238
• ISBN-13: 978-0061452239
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a stunning picture book, September 29, 2008

By 

Kris Waldherr "author of Doomed Queens, The L... (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Yellow Leaf (Hardcover)

There is something about this book which brings tears to my eyes every time I read it to my daughter. It just works on so many levels: stunning art, poetic text, a gentle, philosophical message about transformation and trust. As for my daughter, she loves tracing the little yellow (and scarlet) leaves' journeys once they finally let go and jump into the wind. Highly recommended.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Little Yellow Leaf, October 13, 2008

By 

Alice H. Beall (Marshall, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Yellow Leaf (Hardcover)

The Little Yellow Leaf is a book to be read over and over again. As an ex east coaster and visual artist, I am immediately swept into the beauty and desolation of fall which is exquisitly rendered by Carin Berger from the simplicity of the story to the complexity of understanding of her medium. Not having a young child in the house, I enjoy the book from the point of view of an adult and an artist and am so happy that it arrived in the fall.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars touching and beautiful on many levels, November 6, 2008

By 

carrie leeb - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Yellow Leaf (Hardcover)

the little yellow leaf is touching and beautiful on many levelsl. it really captures the nostalgic feeling of fall and combines it with the fear of change, and the need to let go and trust that everything will be ok. visually, it's exquisite. thoughtfulness is alive in every aspect of the book, from the minute details iin each illustration, to the carefully selected words which perfectly convey the feelings of the little trepid leaf, to the encouraging and hopeful message that's conveyed. i love this book. it opens my heart.