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Leaf By Leaf: Autumn Poems
A timeless collection of poetry celebrates the joy and brilliance of fall, where the leaves turn vivid colors and the air becomes cool and crisp, and includes poems by such literary masters as William Butler Yeats, Walt Whitman, Mary Oliver, Robert Browning, and Edgar Allan Poe.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
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April 24, 2017Leaf by Leaf: Autumn Poems is a collection of poems all related to the season the book is named for. This collection of Autumn poems includes work by Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, and other well-known poets. This text is a great display of figurative language and imagery all connected to one season.
I would use this collection of poems as a tool to teach figurative language. All of the poems included in the book have some visual or sensory description of Fall. By looking at examples of different poems in the book, students can see how there are so many different ways to describe one thing. Many of the poets included in the book are famous because they have broken the pattern of using cliché descriptions to convey what Fall is like. They thought of new, creative ways to describe it. I want to challenge my students to do the same thing. Using this book as a mentor text, I would have students write poems all relating to a season (other than fall) that the class votes on. They should aim to “break patterns,” be creative, and use figurative language. Then, I would compile all of the students’ poems into their very own book of Winter, Spring, or Summer Poems.
I would use this collection of poems as a tool to teach figurative language. All of the poems included in the book have some visual or sensory description of Fall. By looking at examples of different poems in the book, students can see how there are so many different ways to describe one thing. Many of the poets included in the book are famous because they have broken the pattern of using cliché descriptions to convey what Fall is like. They thought of new, creative ways to describe it. I want to challenge my students to do the same thing. Using this book as a mentor text, I would have students write poems all relating to a season (other than fall) that the class votes on. They should aim to “break patterns,” be creative, and use figurative language. Then, I would compile all of the students’ poems into their very own book of Winter, Spring, or Summer Poems.
October 30, 2023
I liked this book a lot, I'm more into poetry books. I also liked all of the photography for the backgrounds on each page, and the seasons each couple pages. Especially all the fall things, which is probably my favorite season in the year.
June 27, 2010
I appreciate the attempt made here: to create a book of autumn themed poetry and photographs that children will enjoy.
The photographs are glorious! They make this a gorgeous book.
The poems are taken from other sources. They include entire short poems and excerpts from longer poems, and they’re written by 25 different (many very famous) poets, and written originally for adults. Many, but not all, are written as rhymes. Some are relatively simple but some are more sophisticated. Some will appeal to kids (ages 8-12?) but some may not. They express a variety of moods. They’re organized in this book by the autumn season progressing, from September through November.
I wanted to love this book. Autumn and spring are my favorite seasons. I like the idea of putting “real, adult” poetry and original photographs into a book designed for children. I think exposing children to poetry not written specifically for them is a fine idea. I liked the idea of this project more than its execution. I think some kids will enjoy it, but although many of the photos are exquisite and some of the poetry is well chosen, I don’t think that this is an outstanding book.
The photographs are glorious! They make this a gorgeous book.
The poems are taken from other sources. They include entire short poems and excerpts from longer poems, and they’re written by 25 different (many very famous) poets, and written originally for adults. Many, but not all, are written as rhymes. Some are relatively simple but some are more sophisticated. Some will appeal to kids (ages 8-12?) but some may not. They express a variety of moods. They’re organized in this book by the autumn season progressing, from September through November.
I wanted to love this book. Autumn and spring are my favorite seasons. I like the idea of putting “real, adult” poetry and original photographs into a book designed for children. I think exposing children to poetry not written specifically for them is a fine idea. I liked the idea of this project more than its execution. I think some kids will enjoy it, but although many of the photos are exquisite and some of the poetry is well chosen, I don’t think that this is an outstanding book.
September 2, 2025
This is a nice introduction for younger readers to classic and contemporary poetry. I loved the cozy fall aesthetic of it too. This was a library book, but I would consider purchasing a copy for myself. Some poems were included in whole, while others only in part, but it made me interested in reading full versions of some of the snippets of poetry that were included, which I think is a reached goal for a book that seeks to get readers interested in poetry.
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September 15, 2020This is categorized as a juvenile poetry collection, but some pretty good stuff by poets unknown or vaguely so to me. Too many of the selections are short excerpts of longer works, but they did encourage me to explore further. Definitely diving back into Amy Lowell. The photographs are interesting, maybe a bit strange.
October 11, 2017
I really liked the poems in the book. They got me in the fall spirit and now I look forward to fall more than ever. I am excited for Halloween because that's a fun holiday. I recommend these to help kids become excited for fall.
December 15, 2017
Pretty good little collection of autumn themed poems and fall photographs.
September 13, 2017
A book of poetry involving nature. Beautiful pictures and catchy versus.
December 6, 2017
As a teacher this could be a great piece to pick poems out around the fall time.
September 6, 2018
Quaint book of excerpts from poems about fall.
September 24, 2018
There are 25 poems or sections of poems in this selection. They have a theme around Fall. The poems were not long, so it made for a quick read. The photographs on each page were beautiful.
October 27, 2020
A lovely little book of autumn poems by well known and not so well known poets, accompanied by beautiful autumn scenery pictures.
November 12, 2020
Beautiful images and comforting, autumn poems. The perfect anthology to read with a warm cup of coffee on a brisk fall morning.
December 6, 2022
I came across this book in an airport waiting area, in those days when I always had many places to go and never enough time to fully experience things. It's a contemplative book about a contemplative season, and I remember feeling calmed and braced by the poems and photography. Now that my life is so much quieter, I wanted to give this a re-read and see if it still has the same effect on me.
Well, I can't answer that question, because who knows exactly what whirly mess of feelings I was feeling then?, but what I can say is that the book hasn't lost any of its magic. This anthology takes the reader from those early days of fall, when we welcome the cooler weather with an exhale, even among wistful memories of bright and golden summer days... all the way through to those dark and chilly nights when time seems frozen, and winter a mere flurry away.
There are themes of ripening and harvest; of fog and phantoms; of loneliness and aging. There are quiet moments of beauty among the decay. Time passes by on the wings of geese, in the slithering of a snake, and on the ripples in a nighttime pond. Hushed silences and muted colors reign in the words and images. Marc Tauss' photographs go beyond mere illustrations to really meld with the poetry and set the mood.
There are bright little gems like Helen Hunt Jackson's lines
Well, I can't answer that question, because who knows exactly what whirly mess of feelings I was feeling then?, but what I can say is that the book hasn't lost any of its magic. This anthology takes the reader from those early days of fall, when we welcome the cooler weather with an exhale, even among wistful memories of bright and golden summer days... all the way through to those dark and chilly nights when time seems frozen, and winter a mere flurry away.
There are themes of ripening and harvest; of fog and phantoms; of loneliness and aging. There are quiet moments of beauty among the decay. Time passes by on the wings of geese, in the slithering of a snake, and on the ripples in a nighttime pond. Hushed silences and muted colors reign in the words and images. Marc Tauss' photographs go beyond mere illustrations to really meld with the poetry and set the mood.
There are bright little gems like Helen Hunt Jackson's lines
And asters by the brooksideand there are poems that make the heart ache, like the excerpt from Winfield Townley Scott's two lives and others. One of my favorites is wild weather by Shirley Hughes:
Make asters in the brook.
Winter is coming! The wind that blows
Hard from the north, from the land of snows,
Nips the fingers and reddens the nose,
Whips the branches and tugs the clothes
And strips the tree,
Till nothing is left of her yellow attire;
And hoar frost streaks the choclatey mire,
And crows string like crotchets along the wire,
And wanderers think of home and fire,
And so do we.
December 9, 2009
Grades 1st - 4th
This book uses photography as illustrations which brings realism to the text. The photographs show both stillness and motion which are very intriguing and interesting. The photographs corellate directly to each poem. The majority of the poems rhyme which make them easy and fun to read. The poems are filled with calm emotions which will appeal to children. This is a great book to read to children after an exciting event, such as recess. The text and illustrations also give the reader a feeling of being one with nature. The photographer was careful to include pictures that have fall colors so as to resemble the season.
Related Content Areas:
Science, Mathematics
Lesson Idea:
The teacher could ask the students to count certain objects in the pictures afer the poems are read. She could also ask them to find a certain amount of object of a specific color.
This book uses photography as illustrations which brings realism to the text. The photographs show both stillness and motion which are very intriguing and interesting. The photographs corellate directly to each poem. The majority of the poems rhyme which make them easy and fun to read. The poems are filled with calm emotions which will appeal to children. This is a great book to read to children after an exciting event, such as recess. The text and illustrations also give the reader a feeling of being one with nature. The photographer was careful to include pictures that have fall colors so as to resemble the season.
Related Content Areas:
Science, Mathematics
Lesson Idea:
The teacher could ask the students to count certain objects in the pictures afer the poems are read. She could also ask them to find a certain amount of object of a specific color.
November 16, 2009
Leaf by Leaf is a large picture/ poem book for readers in 5th- 8th grade. It is an anthology of 25 different poems that all have some mention of fall, leaves, crisp air, and the beginning of winter. It features large bright photographs with a different poem on each page. The pictures range from regular photographs to photos with modified colors and varying degrees of how focused the picture is. Due to the distracting pictures and the different font sizes and colors of the poems, some pages are easier to read than others. While the poems all share the common link of autumn, their content is very different and you really have to think about the poems to understand them.
November 19, 2009
Confession: Sometimes, some of the books I help three-years-old-in-a-few-days Tabitha choose in the children's section of the library are...really...for...me. This was one of those. A collection of poems - mostly excerpts of poems, really - either directly referencing or just "fitting" autumn, with photography worthy of a coffee-table book. I'm not sure it really even belonged in the children's section; more to the reflective, even somewhat melancholy side of autumn, rather than the exuberant jumping-in-mounds-of-crunchy-leaves side. I probably won't even read it to Tab, but I'll leaf through it several more times myself before returning it.
October 13, 2012
Her Winter poem collection w/ illustrations by her then partner Trina Schart Hyman will always be my fave, but this is a wonderful collection w/ intriguing photos.
Rogasky has a gift for choosing a variety of poems, old, new, serious, melancholy, atmospheric, pointed, deep, sweet, well-known and not so.
Like Winter Poems, this is chronological from the onset of the season to its waning days.
When will she create a Spring and Summer book????
Rogasky has a gift for choosing a variety of poems, old, new, serious, melancholy, atmospheric, pointed, deep, sweet, well-known and not so.
Like Winter Poems, this is chronological from the onset of the season to its waning days.
When will she create a Spring and Summer book????
November 16, 2012
I bought this book used from a book store in Florida because it was listed as $95 new from Amazon. Even used, I paid $50 for it. I got it because I teach 5th grade and my poetry unit revolves around the poems in this book. I expected it to be plated in gold for $95! When I got it, I was surprised that it was just another picture book, with beautiful poems, however, not worth the outrageous price tag. The inside cover says it is $15. Why does this book cost so much?
April 24, 2016
a good collection of autumn poems. My copy is a hard back with glossy, large and vibrant pictures. A selection of poems by various authors. The tone of the poems seem wistful and bittersweet-winter is coming and things are dying ,yet there is still beauty to behold while the season lasts. I bought it for school but not sure how well these poems will be received by middle schoolers. They seem to go for the funny stuff. Let's see if I can change their minds.....
July 1, 2017
A very good selection of poems about autumn. by poets such as Shelley, Whitman, Yeats, Mary Oliver, May Swenson, and others. Color and black and white photographs by Marc Tauss capture the feel of autumn. Although classified as "juvenile poetry", thoughtful adults will enjoy these poems and photos too.
November 7, 2011
This is a good poetry book. The illustrations are good too. I do not think this book would be good to use in a young classroom. With these poems it would be hard to keep children interested and entertained.
October 7, 2012
The day becomes more solemn and serene
When noon is past—there is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!
-Percy Bysshe Shelley
When noon is past—there is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!
-Percy Bysshe Shelley
November 7, 2011
absolutely stunning book. Some unusual choices in both photographs and poems makes this book stand out from the pack.
December 13, 2011
Leaf by Leaf Autumn Poems would be great to incorporate in a lesson about the fall season. I could have my students write thier own poems about fall.
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October 22, 2012Grade: 4-5
Topic: Autumn - activities, characteristics, living organisms, etc.
Topic: Autumn - activities, characteristics, living organisms, etc.
October 5, 2016
This is a perfect pick for the fall months, as the poems in the book as well as the pictures are wonderful.
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December 4, 2016Like the theme and tone of this poetry book. I think the poems all tie together with the theme very well. The pictures are very pretty giving the poems that much more energy.
January 12, 2017
Fine choice of poems but the photographs - though beautiful - overwhelm the text.
July 8, 2022
Beautiful book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews