In the Leaves (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "It is a gorgeous autumn morning..." (more)
Key Phrases: Xiao Ming

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 4–On a dazzling autumn day, Xiao Ming's mother takes him and his friends to visit a farm. There, the child shows his friends the beauty and fun of writing Chinese characters by drawing them in the dirt for the things they see. The story unfolds while gracefully showing the relationships between actual objects and the characters used to represent them. As Xiao Ming draws the symbol for grain next to the one for mouth, he tells his friends that it creates the word for harmony. I am always happy to have lots to eat, just like I'm happy to have lots of good friends to eat with. The splendid cut-paper collages portray the action while illustrating the origin and history of the characters described. As Xiao Ming explains fire, depicted by two sticks together, the illustrations show farmers in the field building a fire. Together the art and text create a picture of Chinese writing that is easy to understand and leaves readers eager to create their own characters.–Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Xiao Ming is excited about a fall outing to a farm with his friends--and about showing everyone the Chinese characters he knows. He explains how the characters for grain and fire echo their shapes, and he talks about the meaning behind the character for family. Lee, who featured Xiao Ming in two previous books--At the Beach (1994) and In the Snow (1995)--introduces 10 new Mandarin Chinese characters here, using simple, descriptive text, interspersed with dialogue, to clarify the visual elements. She makes fine use of textured papers and pattern play in her collages, both in the large scenes and in the rich, earth-tone borders, and effectively uses basic shapes and intricate cuts to depict a multicultural group of kids enjoying the learning experience. An illustrated pronunciation guide (the first five characters in the story appear on the front endpaper, the last five on the back) is a nice bonus, although incorporating the information into the main text would have saved kids from flipping back and forth between the story and the guides. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (July 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805067647
• ISBN-13: 978-0805067644
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #379,274 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THOUGHTFULLY CONCEIVED AND BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED, August 17, 2005

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

With this thoughtfully conceived and beautifully illustrated book artist/author Huy Voun Lee completes her seasonal cycle of stories about Chinese characters. "In The Leaves," which focuses on autumn, is preceded by "At The Beach," "In The Snow," and "In The Park."

With her latest story we are once again introduced to ten Chinese characters as Xiao Ming (which is pronounced Schow Ming in Mandarin Chinese) and his friends visit a farm. Xiao Ming is excited to tell his friends about what he has learned, and the fact that writing Chinese characters is very much like drawing pictures.

For instance, the Chinese character for "grain" looks very much like a tree with roots digging into the ground. There is a head on top that represents ripe grain. The Chinese character for fire looks very much like a campfire. Thus, young readers learn that Chinese characters are not only beautiful, but they also make sense.

These four books by Huy Voun Lee are both educational and fun. In addition, they give youngsters an appreciation of another culture. As more and more we become a global community it's an important lesson for them to learn.

- Gail Cooke

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cultural connections, March 8, 2007

By	R. Roy (So. Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This series by Huy Voun Lee is a very nice way for a non-Asian grandmother to help her Asian granddaughter connect with her heritage.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and easy to follow for children, October 25, 2005

By	John (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Children love pictures, and learning the picture-language of Chinese is an eye-opening excercise for them. It introduces diversity to them in a fun way.