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The Very Last Leaf
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Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest of the leaves, but even the top students on the tree have worries. Can Lance conquer his fear of falling and just let go when the time comes for his final exam, or will he let his worries take over? In this funny and encouraging picture book, best-selling author Stef Wade (A Place for Pluto) tells an engaging story and deftly addr
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Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone Editions for providing me with a free copy of this book. The following is my honest opinion. This is a very good book. It is a book for young readers and one that takes them through the life cycle of a cottonwood leaf. Lance Cottonwood excels in all his leafly studies except the final one - falling to the ground at the end of the season. The book helps teach children how to overcome fear, bur the hidden message for me is to overcome the fear of death. Truly, what
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Mar 11, 2020
Briar's Reviews
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
childrens-books,
picture-book,
cute,
family,
netgalley,
one-hit-wonders,
fiction,
other-editions,
top-books
The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade is a super cute, absolutely adorable children's read!
To start off this review, the cover alone is absolutely stunning. The soft oranges and reds to give a fall-like feeling - it's gorgeous. It screamed out to me and made me want to pick up this little book. The style felt very classic yet very modern all at the same time.
We follouw Lance Cottonwood, a little leaf, on his first day of school! He's doing great in school but he began to worry about his exams. His fin ...more
To start off this review, the cover alone is absolutely stunning. The soft oranges and reds to give a fall-like feeling - it's gorgeous. It screamed out to me and made me want to pick up this little book. The style felt very classic yet very modern all at the same time.
We follouw Lance Cottonwood, a little leaf, on his first day of school! He's doing great in school but he began to worry about his exams. His fin ...more
5 Magnificent ⭐️!!!!!!!!
This book is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
First of all I want to say how magnificent the artwork is! The colours are very crisp, on point, appealing, & pleasing! The gradient, colour combination & how the artist draw is stunning! It’s just sooo cute and I am just speechless! Wow!
The fonts are brilliant! I love how the fonts change, there are smaller ones and bigger ones with fading colours which is just superb!
The story is so adorable and unique! Lance is a great student but even though ...more
This book is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
First of all I want to say how magnificent the artwork is! The colours are very crisp, on point, appealing, & pleasing! The gradient, colour combination & how the artist draw is stunning! It’s just sooo cute and I am just speechless! Wow!
The fonts are brilliant! I love how the fonts change, there are smaller ones and bigger ones with fading colours which is just superb!
The story is so adorable and unique! Lance is a great student but even though ...more
I... really don't know what to make of this.
The text is solid. The illustrations are appealing. The facts about leaves that are woven into the plot and included in Lance's report card at the end are interesting.
But this story is just weird. Basically, it's about a leaf being encouraged to essentially commit suicide by his teacher and peers. I mean, when a leaf falls from a tree, it dies. Lance had every right to be scared! It just seemed very odd that the teacher (who was the tree he was attache ...more
The text is solid. The illustrations are appealing. The facts about leaves that are woven into the plot and included in Lance's report card at the end are interesting.
But this story is just weird. Basically, it's about a leaf being encouraged to essentially commit suicide by his teacher and peers. I mean, when a leaf falls from a tree, it dies. Lance had every right to be scared! It just seemed very odd that the teacher (who was the tree he was attache ...more
The Very Last Leaf written by Stef Wade and illustrated by Jennifer Davison is a sweet, encouraging, and simple story with bright and adorable artwork. This easy read with a great message is perfect for young to early middle-grade readers.
Little Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest student on the tree. He excels in his classes on Budding, Pigment Changing, and Wind Resistance. However, even the most brilliant students have their fears. Will Lance be able to conquer his fear of falling an ...more
Little Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest student on the tree. He excels in his classes on Budding, Pigment Changing, and Wind Resistance. However, even the most brilliant students have their fears. Will Lance be able to conquer his fear of falling an ...more
Thank you netgalley and publisher for this book to review. Cute book children’s book with really beautiful graphics. This gives a child the insight has life lessons ... that life can be challenging and hard but you can get through it.
Super cute and easy read that teaches about how the leaves on trees change through the seasons. The story is fun because its told from one young leafs perspective. He grows and changes but come Fall he is scared to take the plunge off his tree. Lance will be the last to leave his tree.
The book isnt just cute its educational. It talks about the different types of trees. Lance cottonwood comes from a deciduous tree but the book also has trees like the evergreen who dont loose their leaves. The boo ...more
The book isnt just cute its educational. It talks about the different types of trees. Lance cottonwood comes from a deciduous tree but the book also has trees like the evergreen who dont loose their leaves. The boo ...more
From his first day of school in the spring, Lance Cottonwood was the best and brightest student.
Lance was a leaf, he excelled in Budding, Wind Resistance, Photosynthesis and passed Pigment Changing with flying colors.
As the final test was coming up – one that all leaves eventually must do, he hesitated. All the other leaves were excited to leave the tree, but he hesitated, watching the other leaves fall to the ground. He wanted to be like his neighbor, Doug Fir, who was an evergreen. Lance was ...more
Suitable for 4-5 years of age. I loved the cover and the illustration! For picture books, most of everything about them lies in the illustrations and this one didn't disappoint me at all. The art work is vivid and the right kind of colourful. The different objects stood out and the character illustration is so damn amazing! The art sequence is maintained well till the end. However, I feel the story is a bit unreasonable and somewhat disconnected considering the main character to be a leaf and th
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Full Review: https://joybookish.home.blog/?p=238
I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was adorable and had a great message. Wade definitely met her goals of providing a book for children to recognize fear and worry over being “the best.”
This book is really a hidden gem for science topics! With the book being about changing seasons and new experiences, I was pleasantly surprised to find concepts like wind resistance, photosynthesis, and pigments in l ...more
I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was adorable and had a great message. Wade definitely met her goals of providing a book for children to recognize fear and worry over being “the best.”
This book is really a hidden gem for science topics! With the book being about changing seasons and new experiences, I was pleasantly surprised to find concepts like wind resistance, photosynthesis, and pigments in l ...more
I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
This cute book is a great book to help teach young children about how some things in life can be a challenge or be scary or daunting to them but with courage and support they can achieve anything.
This book is also a great book to teach children about science as it has scientific words relating to trees and seasons.
A fabulous book to share with all children!
This cute book is a great book to help teach young children about how some things in life can be a challenge or be scary or daunting to them but with courage and support they can achieve anything.
This book is also a great book to teach children about science as it has scientific words relating to trees and seasons.
A fabulous book to share with all children!
Lance Cottonwood is a leaf. He loves school and learning about things like photosynthesis. But, he is worried about his big final exam: falling from the tree. He feels a lot of anxiety about falling out of the tree and wishes he was an evergreen live his friend Doug Fir.
This picture book is a fun and educational read that will teach kids about deciduous trees. It also has a moral to not let worry and anxiety take over your life. This is a great book to read with elementary aged kids.
I received ...more
This picture book is a fun and educational read that will teach kids about deciduous trees. It also has a moral to not let worry and anxiety take over your life. This is a great book to read with elementary aged kids.
I received ...more
The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade will be a good back-to-school book for kids. Lance Cottonwood is the brightest student in his class. He excels in everything, until it comes to exam time. You see, Lance is afraid to fall and he is afraid of failure. Luckily after speaking about his fears to his teacher, he feels much better and takes the leap! The Very Last Leaf will show kids it's okay to be scared, they don't always have to "get" things right away, and expressing their feelings can be really he
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Cute illustrations in a very yellowish fall colors tone, I find them beautiful. The story is also very good with a strong message that can be really helpful to talk about fear with children. Good job!
My attention span has been shot by too much staring at a screen so of course I'm reading and adoring illustrated books for toddlers and children, let me have my fun.
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Lance Cottonwood is a very smart leaf, why he is one of the brightest in his class. He passes his tests and exams with ease... except for one... the final one!
"This test would take him from the top of his sturdy tree to the grass down below." Oh my! How scary is that?
All the other leaves can't wait to take the plunge but as they all depart Lance becomes more and more anxious and afraid to disengage because soon it will be his turn to go. He makes up excuses to delay his departure and as he wai ...more
"This test would take him from the top of his sturdy tree to the grass down below." Oh my! How scary is that?
All the other leaves can't wait to take the plunge but as they all depart Lance becomes more and more anxious and afraid to disengage because soon it will be his turn to go. He makes up excuses to delay his departure and as he wai ...more
Feb 19, 2020
Carmen (TheReadingTrashQueen)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
netgalley-edelweiss,
picturebooks
A huge thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for providing me with a free eARC in return for an honest review
Let's just start off with the most obvious:
The art of this book is absolutely stunning. There is no way around it. I hate the color orange, but when it's in these tones with an autumn-y feel, I just love the warmth of it. The only thing slightly bothering me about the art is that the female leaf's nerfs seemed to be more flow-y. I'm not sure why the leaves had to have genders at all, but that ...more
Let's just start off with the most obvious:
The art of this book is absolutely stunning. There is no way around it. I hate the color orange, but when it's in these tones with an autumn-y feel, I just love the warmth of it. The only thing slightly bothering me about the art is that the female leaf's nerfs seemed to be more flow-y. I'm not sure why the leaves had to have genders at all, but that ...more
I loved this children's book so much! The artwork was absolutely stunning, and the story focused on encouraging a little leaf to to get over his fears and face reality. I'll admit it was a bit strange seeing a teacher encourage a leaf to fall off a tree (since that's how leaves die?), but the moral of the story was with regards to facing your fears and finding the encouragement and confidence to succeed, which is an excellent message for children.
I also liked the different depths this book offe ...more
I also liked the different depths this book offe ...more
Thanks to Netgalley and Capstone for the early review copy.
Lance Cottonwood is the brightest leaf in class. He's aced all of his classes, but when faced with his final exam of falling, he's too scared to take the leap. He watches his friends do it, and even though he'd rather stay on the limb, with some encouragement from his teacher and a little bit of courage, maybe he'll be able to pass his final.
This book was super cute, and super informative. Not only does it teach kids about finding themse ...more
Lance Cottonwood is the brightest leaf in class. He's aced all of his classes, but when faced with his final exam of falling, he's too scared to take the leap. He watches his friends do it, and even though he'd rather stay on the limb, with some encouragement from his teacher and a little bit of courage, maybe he'll be able to pass his final.
This book was super cute, and super informative. Not only does it teach kids about finding themse ...more
I was provided an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Very Last Leaf is a super adorable picture book about facing your next step and being afraid of the inevitable changes of the future.
We follow the story of a A-student leaf which now has to master it's last test - fall from the tree. Which, it discoveres, might be something it is not yet ready to do.
I really enjoyed this short book and the beautiful art. I think it's a great opener to get your small kids ...more
The Very Last Leaf is a super adorable picture book about facing your next step and being afraid of the inevitable changes of the future.
We follow the story of a A-student leaf which now has to master it's last test - fall from the tree. Which, it discoveres, might be something it is not yet ready to do.
I really enjoyed this short book and the beautiful art. I think it's a great opener to get your small kids ...more
Coming from a school librarian perspective, this book touches on so many important topics that I can easily see being incorporated into multiple school lessons. It first touches on autumn's changing leaves and sprinkles a few advanced vocabulary words, like "photosynthesis", throughout. For this reason, I think that it is better suited as a read-aloud where you can discuss the meaning of these words as you come across them. It also has a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) ties because the leaf is w
...more
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**
This was a really sweet book about moving on and the challenges that can come with accepting that change is going to happen.
It was a beautifully illustrated picture book about a leaf who excels at everything but when it come time to pass his final test and leave everything he knows - he is reluctant to change and tries to think of ways to delay the inevitable.
This ...more
This was a really sweet book about moving on and the challenges that can come with accepting that change is going to happen.
It was a beautifully illustrated picture book about a leaf who excels at everything but when it come time to pass his final test and leave everything he knows - he is reluctant to change and tries to think of ways to delay the inevitable.
This ...more
This is a bright and color book about death.
That's all I can figure out here. It is how leaves leave the tree in the fall, because they are deciduous, and that's what happens, and the tree, his teacher, keeps telling Lance to, well, jump, jump, jump.
I mean, I know leaves fall. That is not the point. But in this book, the leaves are a "class" and the tree is the "teacher". And the "teacher" wants the leaves to die, and fall off her.
If this isn't a book about death and dying, I'm not sure what it ...more
That's all I can figure out here. It is how leaves leave the tree in the fall, because they are deciduous, and that's what happens, and the tree, his teacher, keeps telling Lance to, well, jump, jump, jump.
I mean, I know leaves fall. That is not the point. But in this book, the leaves are a "class" and the tree is the "teacher". And the "teacher" wants the leaves to die, and fall off her.
If this isn't a book about death and dying, I'm not sure what it ...more
This book was super adorable.
In this book Lance Cottonwood is at the top of his class in school. But when he gets to his final exam of letting go and falling to the ground, he can't seem to get past his fear. Can he face his fear with the help of his teacher?
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that Lance seemed like he had it all together but inside he was really scared. It teaches kids that everyone has fears that they don't necessarily show. And I loved that Lance talked his fears through wit ...more
In this book Lance Cottonwood is at the top of his class in school. But when he gets to his final exam of letting go and falling to the ground, he can't seem to get past his fear. Can he face his fear with the help of his teacher?
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that Lance seemed like he had it all together but inside he was really scared. It teaches kids that everyone has fears that they don't necessarily show. And I loved that Lance talked his fears through wit ...more
The very last Leaf is a super cute picture book about a leaf who is excelling at school until one day it is his turn to fall from the tree. The illustrations and colors are attractive to the reader and the text is easy to read. However, I'm unsure about the actual syntax of the dialogue. The premise of a school for leaves and that they have to jump off the tree as their final was strange.
I'm unsure about the appeal of the actual text to primary readers whom this subject would appeal to. The ill ...more
I'm unsure about the appeal of the actual text to primary readers whom this subject would appeal to. The ill ...more
The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade is an adorable children's book about facing your fears and being brave. I absolutely loved this book! The illustrations are beautiful, the writing is simple and clear and the message is short but strong.
I truly feel like this book can teach children about what it means to be scared, to talk about your fears and what it means to let go. But I also feel like this could teach adults (teachers, parents, etc.) about how to talk to children about their fears, how to tea ...more
I truly feel like this book can teach children about what it means to be scared, to talk about your fears and what it means to let go. But I also feel like this could teach adults (teachers, parents, etc.) about how to talk to children about their fears, how to tea ...more
This graphic fable is about a leaf.
Leaves on tree are compared to a classroom where everyone has to do the meaningful work which their training inspires them to do.
It is about a leaf who compares himself to someone who is not like him and tries to unnaturally copy him.
This leads to inevitable failure.
Finally with guidance of techers and friends our leaf comes to face reality.
Artwork is ok, not exceptional.
Writing is good, simple, well-suited for reading by kids. Story is engaging and enjoyable.
I ...more
Leaves on tree are compared to a classroom where everyone has to do the meaningful work which their training inspires them to do.
It is about a leaf who compares himself to someone who is not like him and tries to unnaturally copy him.
This leads to inevitable failure.
Finally with guidance of techers and friends our leaf comes to face reality.
Artwork is ok, not exceptional.
Writing is good, simple, well-suited for reading by kids. Story is engaging and enjoyable.
I ...more
I actually read this one to my daughters (4 & 7) both absolutely loved it. They loved little Lance and learning more in detail about the life cycle of leaves. I was worried when the more technical terms came along, but sincerely appreciated that it was soon after explained. The illustration was wonder and not too overwhelming. I'm eager to buy a copy of this book to share with my friends who teach elementary aged children. I think this book is wonder and am eager to see if there are others that
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The illustrations were a bit repetitive. I wish the characters didn’t all look so similar. Even if they’re leaves from the same tree there could have been some improvement in the character design. The message felt too simplistic for the language level used. I was a bit bothered by the fact that when leaves fall, they die and yet the message seemed to e that it’s okay to “fall”. The whole death metaphor seemed strange.
I received an eArk via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an eArk via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is an excellent book about excelling and being afraid too. There's a great message for kids to learn in this bright and fun picture book.
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Stef is the author of A PLACE FOR PLUTO, a 2018 Barnes & Noble story time pick, 2019 TXLA 2×2 Reading List Book, 2019 UK Summer Reading Challenge book, a 2019 LITA Golden Duck Notable Picture Book, and runner-up for the 2020 Magnolia Book Award.
Her upcoming books include THE VERY LAST LEAF, releasing from Capstone August 1, 2020 and Q AND U CALL IT QUITS, published by HarperCollins, releasing June ...more
Her upcoming books include THE VERY LAST LEAF, releasing from Capstone August 1, 2020 and Q AND U CALL IT QUITS, published by HarperCollins, releasing June ...more
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