Last Leaf First Snowflake to Fall

by Leo Yerxa

seasons, autumn to winter, natural world

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Fiction, Nature, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 1993

About the author

Leo Yerxa was an award-winning Ojibwa writer, illustrator and artist. He was born in 1947 on the Little Eagle Reserve in northwestern Ontario, and studied graphic arts at Algonquin College in Ottawa and fine arts at the University of Waterloo. He wrote Last Leaf, First Snowflake to Fall, which won the 1994 Mr. Christie's Book Award. He received the Governor General's award for illustration in 1996 for his exceptional book Ancient Thunder. In addition to the three picture-books he both wrote and illustrated, he also illustrated a number of other books. Yerxa died in 2017.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poetic and peaceful journey with some native American people experiencing the change of season from autumn to winter. The illustrations are lovely, some wonderful scenes of nature, beautiful colours. This is a peaceful story and would make an ideal bedtime story.

Read on open library.

[Carolynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This timeless book is evocative of the exquisite moment when the last leaf has fallen in the forest and the first silent snowflakes fall. I live in a city, not near a forest, but I am aware that that moment is now (in October) almost at hand. How can I never have encountered Yerxa, a Canadian Ojibwe, before? He has created a hauntingly beautiful picture book with exquisite illustrations in glorious fall shades of brown, gold, and soft grey that complement the poetic text. From the colophon: “The collage illustrations are done in tissue paper dyed with acrylics, inks, and watercolors. The small accent illustrations are done in watercolor." No lexile measure is available, but it would make a good read aloud book for young children, and older elementary children will enjoy it too. Useful for lessons on wildlife or ecology, and could also be used as part of a poetry unit (free verse). The book has won two awards: Mr. Christie's Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book. Only three libraries in Iowa own this book, fewer than in Australia! If you are a librarian, consider this one seriously. Highly recommended.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ojibwe artist Leo Yerxa, who was raised on the Little Eagle Reserve in Ontario, examines the passing of the seasons in this poetic picture-book, with its meditative text and breathtakingly lovely collage artwork. Opening with a textually dense evocation of the dawn of time - "Long ago, before time / Before sunlight burst across the universe / to give light to the heart of a dark green forest" - it moves on to the simpler (textually speaking, anyway) tale of a canoeing trip through the late autumn landscape, and the coming - in the night that the narrator and his companion are sleeping out underneath the stars - of winter, with its first snow.

Told in free verse, Last Lead First Snowflake to Fall presents some challenges for young readers, in that the introductory portion is so very long - two picture-book sized pages, full of text - and in that it lacks any punctuation. Still, the narrative has its own cadence, reinforced by the line breaks, and if the reader/listener has the attention span to get through it, they will be rewarded. The collage illustrations, by contrast, are immediately accessible, and are simply beautiful! I've only experienced one other Yerxa title - Ancient Thunder , which was likewise beautiful - but am fully convinced that he is an artist of immense talent, and look forward to reading any of his future efforts.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artistic, poetic picture book about the transition between seasons. It is a gentle, beautifully written text with layered art. My only critique is that there is a page with a HUGE block of text that could have been broken up to make the book more appealing for the age group it is intended for. It is two full pages of text, and it does not fit the rhythm of the rest of the book.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the eyes of the first man
watched the sun fall beneath the horizon
His eyes walked in darkness, from star to star
The first adventurers in the deep blue sky

From this darkness snow was born
It began with a whisper
from the wind to the leaves
the leaves tot he birds

Beautiful in its quietness and simplicity. The art has great texture and is quite beautiful.

[Vicki Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is really something special. Yerxa employs collage in rich colours and attention-grabbing textures, to make unique statements about perspective and subjectivity. The text is beautiful nature poetry, and then progresses into a narrative fragment about experiencing the woods while travelling through.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anishnaabe author/ illustrator Yerxa has created a mesmerizing book about the transition from Fall to Winter. Multiple awards won. Highly recommended. Seek this out if you’re interested in children’s literature.

[Mrs. Ruigrok · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book about the changing of the seasons. So well written and illustrated.

[Mella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this isn't my personal style of illustration, I greatly admire how much work went into creating these hand-cut layers of artwork. So many layers!

[Alice Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who enjoy poetry, but find a lot of it to be a mystery, this beautifully written and illustrated book is for you. The author takes you on a quiet, lyrical journey to the point at which Fall turns to Winter. You can almost hear the hush of the forest as leaves rustle in gentle winds, until you arrive at the exact point in time when the barely audible "clink" of the snowflakes as they begin to fall, creeps into your consciousness.
The torn paper-maché and watercolor illustrations are surprisingly delicate and detailed, dovetailing with the tone of this book. The images greatly enhance my desire to venture into that forest in order to personally experience this fleeting moment.

[Adriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been making a greater effort to find books written within a native american perspective. This is a stunning poem and art book about the first snowfall of winter. The pictures are a combination of paper collage and watercolors and are so beautiful. The poem itself might get lost on small children, but the beauty of it would be worth a read anyway, because understanding each sentence is not always as important as being washed over in a beautiful cascade of language.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just okay for me. I like a bit more color and it was way too wordy in the beginning.

[Ciara (Lost at Midnight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations were gorgeous, and the story was sweet. Getting to read picture books in university is pretty dang great.