Leaves

A bear experiences his first autumn and winter in this lovely picture-book examination of the changing of the seasons from author/illustrator David Ezra Stein. Concerned when the leaves begin to fall, our ursine hero at first attempts to replace them on the trees, but when he eventually gets sleepy he uses them to line a cave in which to hibernate. When he awakens again in the spring, he discovers new leaves budding, and joyfully welcomes them to the world...

Pairing a simple text of no more than a few words per page with bright, autumnal illustrations, Leaves offers a sometimes humorous, sometimes sweet look at a young bear's first experience with the changing seasons. Young children will no doubt be able to identify with the bear's show more confusion and concern, when faced with this change, and will find his joyful realization that the leaves will grow again in spring quite reassuring. As an autumn lover I preferred the scenes set in that season, from a visual perspective, although the artwork was appealing throughout. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for seasonal titles for younger children, perhaps ages two through five? show less

A short, cute story about a bear trying to put the leaves back on the trees, before eventually hibernating through the winter. This would be a great way to start a lesson about the seasons and how they change, or a lesson about different mammals and what hibernation is. A teacher can try and have the students relate to the story by asking how long they have ever slept, or if they have ever seen the leaves change colors.

I really enjoyed this book because it introduces the seasons from a bear's perspective. It is his first year experiencing the seasons and he/she becomes surprised when the first leaf falls in autumn. It seems as if the bear truly cares about the well being of the leaves because he eventually tries to put them back on the tree. For example, the author, Stein, exclaims, "He tried to catch them and put them back on, but it was not the same." On another hand, the illustrations tell a story themselves, which supports the purpose of a picture book. Readers are able to look at them and understand what the bear is not only doing, but thinking simply because the expressions that are portrayed. Also, another aspect of the book that one could show more point out is the fact that readers are intrigued to read along because there are not full sentences on each page. An example is when Stein mentions, "But he grew sleepy, and so... he found a hole... and filled it with leaves... and went to sleep... just as the wind began to blow." This is just one of the examples that are evident in the book where readers are likely to keep reading because they want to finish the sentence. It also allows for readers to recognize the third person point of view that is incorporated throughout the text. Overall, the curiosity of the bear is very well represented and easily allows readers to connect to the bear simply because of its feelings shown, as well as reader's interpretations of the bear. show less

This simple, charming story of a young bear's first autumn is perfectly suited to board book format. Bear is surprised when the leaves start falling off the trees, but when he tries to reattach them, it doesn't work. Eventually, he gets sleepy, and burrows into the fallen leaves for a long nap. When he wakes up, it's spring-and there are suddenly brand-new leaves all around, seeming to welcome him.

I enjoyed this book. The story was simple yet informative. It uses easy words and explain bear hibernation and seasons. It's a story that begins by showing the fall leaves falling and the bear not understanding. The bear is very empathetic and wonders if the leaf is ok, I love that. It mentions the colors of the falling leaves and how this bear was trying to fix the leaves by putting them back. It goes briefly into the bear finding a hole and his hibernation. It shows the winter season and how spring begins. The little bear wakes to buds on the trees and “Welcomes” the new leaves. It was a very sweet story and has many characteristics that could be incorporated into a classroom.

A young bear experiences the changing of seasons for the first time in this heartwarming book. The bear wonders at the falling of the first leaf, and awakens after hibernation delighted to find the first buds of spring. The format and syntax of the story is simple enough to use as a transition from board books to regular picture books. Large type face and sparse text place an emphasis on the soft and inviting illustrations. These endearing pictures are simple and accessible, perfect for a young audience but also pleasing to an older reader. While some of the illustrations simply feature the leaves and the bear, others give readers a simple depiction of a season, such as the last illustration which shows the bear, a few new spring show more leaves, and the last remnants of winter snow. As the young bear experiences and learns about seasons, so too can a child either by simply hearing the story or by further parent-child discussion. A friendly introduction to the passage of time, I strongly recommend this book. Ages 2-4 show less

Jennifer points out this could be interpreted more deeply as a metaphor for change and loss, because this bear cub must be an orphan otherwise it would still be with its mother. Without that interpretation, it doesn't do much for me... just more trite and superficial, not resonant or wise.

Reread Aug. 2020. Well, actually, it's not metaphorically about change and loss, but literally about same. And, yeah, I dunno where mum is, either. Still doesn't impress me. :shrug: