Leaf Man (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) (Hardcover)

by Lois Ehlert (Author) "Leaf Man used to live near me, in a pile of leaves..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Ehlert (Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf) returns to one of her favorite themes—the rainbow beauty of autumn leaves—for this refreshing riff on leaf peeping and collecting. A narrator recalls the Leaf Man that used to live nearby but recently blew away with the wind. "He left no travel plans." From that breezy beginning, the narrator imagines the different flight patterns the Leaf Man may have followed "past the chickens, toward the marsh,... over the prairie meadows,... past the spotted cows," and punctuates the lyrical text with an occasional refrain ( "a Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows"). All the while, Ehlert sparks her foliage flight of fancy with her snazzy leaf collages. Fiery maple, brown mottled catalpa and bright yellow ginko leaves take the shape of various animals and objects on each spread. The boldly colored background papers, of varying texture, make the leaves pop. And, in the type of clever book design for which Ehlert is known, the pages are die-cut and/or patchworked at the top to create a rolling, flowing effect throughout. Endpapers serve as a labeled field guide to leaf varieties and an author's note expresses Ehlert's passion for her subject, and describes her art technique. After this visual feast, young nature lovers are sure to look with fresh eyes as they walk through the woods. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
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From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3–Ehlert combines vivid collage artwork, effulgent colors, and an inventive design to create an eye-catching picture book. With a body made of fallen leaves and acorns for eyes, Leaf Man takes off from a backyard and flutters away on the breeze, meandering past animals, over fields of fall vegetables, above waterways, and across prairie meadows. The text suggests a range of possible destinations, along with the refrain, Well, a Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows. Finally, readers are encouraged to listen for a rustle in the leaves and maybe find a Leaf Man of their own to take home. From ducks to pumpkins to fish, all of the objects described are fashioned out of life-size leaves of various shapes, sizes, and hues and set against backgrounds of textured paper. The die-cut pages curve and bend across the top edge, suggesting undulating mountains set against a sky-blue backdrop. The various leaves and seeds are identified on the endpapers. While the story is simple, the artwork is dazzling, and the book's concept will inspire nature walks, art projects, and curiosity about the changing seasons.–Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152053042
• ISBN-13: 978-0152053048
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 11.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #125,663 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #21 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( E ) > Ehlert, Lois
  #23 in	Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Forests & Trees > Nonfiction
  #42 in	Books > Children's Books > Basic Concepts > Size & Shape > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What fun! So much to see!, September 29, 2005

By	Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This book is getting good reviews for good reason. Lois Ehlert uses images of actual autumn leaves to tell a simple story. And yet, it's not that simple. In each colorful double-page spread, the leaves are arranged in order to form figures: a man, barnyard animals, farm crops, etc., whatever supports the text. As we advance through the story, we realize something different about the book. The top edges of the pages aren't cut straight; they swoop to become horizon lines that change with each page turn, simulating the colorful rolling hills of autumn. What a wonderful surprise! Who would have thought of that technique? It's perfect for the story. The leaves are close at hand, and yet your eye catches the distant landscape, just as it might in real life.

What I like most about this book is that it is educational in a subtle way. It doesn't scream, "Here are leaf projects for you to try!" It merely tells a story using leaves, and lets the readers become inspired to gather up and create leaf creatures of their own. In other words, teaching and leading by example. On the end-sheet of the front and back covers, sample leaves are each identified by tree name -- again, with subtlety. If you want to know the names of the trees they came from, fine, there they are. If you are too young (or too old!) to care, then the words do not intrude on your view of the leaves or the enjoyment of the book. I can see that reading this book to a group of observant youngsters would take quite a while. There's so much to see, and you might not catch it all the first time through. "Leaf Man" requires multiple readings.

This is a beautiful, educational picture book that will appeal to all ages. It should be mandatory for nature center libraries and elementary school libraries.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple text enhanced with a big dose of creativity!, July 5, 2007

By	z hayes (plano,texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

My husband bought this for our two-year old, and we love reading it together with her. The text is simple, as it traces the journey of Leaf Man...the leaves used are magnificent in their colors...some bold, some subdued, but all unique and beautiful. I have since done some basic art projects with my daughter using this book as inspiration. We collect leaves wherever we go and hope to create a little book of our own!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For leaf lovers!, November 6, 2006

By	A. Brown "Mom of 2 boys" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My five year old and I really enjoy this book. My son enjoys looking for the pictures the leaves make and I enjoy the fact that the author collected these beautiful leaves, made images out of them and wrote a story around them! Colorful, imaginative, fun to read.