If You Find a Leaf

by Aimée Sicuro

An exquisite picture book that celebrates the fall season and encourages children to see the colorful leaves around them in an entirely new way. The artist uses real leaves of vibrant hues to make her oh-so-charming illustrations.

Every year, gusts of wind blow colorful autumn leaves to the ground. Some leaves make a crunch under foot, and others are so beautiful they deserve to be saved.

In this story a young artist draws inspiration from the leaves she collects and every leaf sparks a new idea. She imagines turning a Japanese Zelkova leaf into a boat to sail far away, a Honey Locust leaf into a swing to sway in the gentle breeze, and an American Basswood leaf into a hot air balloon to float high above the trees.

Any young reader who turns the pages of this beautiful book will be inspired to use their own imagination as they hunt for leaves this fall. And for young readers who want to make their own leaf creations there are tips for including leaves in their artwork and additional fun craft ideas.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Storytime, Art, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 2022

About the author

Aimee Sicuro knew at an early age she wanted to make things, and spent many years trying to figure out how. She is the illustrator of many books including Dancing Through Fields of Color, by Elizabeth Brown and The Stuff Between the Stars both Junior Library Guild selections. If You Find a Leaf, her authorial debut was nominated for the 2022 Ezra Jacks Keats Award. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, NYT Parenting, People Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this! The style of art is charming and whimsical and incorporates actual leaves with the illustrations. It's so creative the way the little girl in the story imagines leaves into hot air balloons, bicycles, hats, dresses, hammocks--even a bonfire. I love how the end papers show the leaves themselves -- some really lovely examples. The reds, yellows and oranges really pop. Best of all, it inspired us to try some collages like this ourselves. I'm glad there's a queue for this at the library since it's so lovely and I want other families to read it, but I also wished we'd been able to renew it and keep it all autumn long. It's one I would happily look at again and again. It reminds me a bit of Leaf Man, a seasonal favorite, though I think I like this one even better.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy September 1st! I thought I’d kick off this almost-fall-time season with an autumn like read to get me in the mood.

“If you find a leaf
You can dream the day away.”

And that’s exactly what we do here! A little girl finds various kinds of leaves and imagines all sorts of fun and creative ways to use them in her art and dreams. A leaf could be...a cape, bicycle wheels, or even a hot air balloon! My favorite was the mask—it was cute and a bit spooky. Perfect!

The art here is eye-catchingly beautiful. The photos of the leaves within the painted images create bright, vivid collages on the page. I ran my fingers over the leaves again and again. They look so real. They stand out! Each and every page pulls readers into the story. Especially the 2-page spreads! The colorful, full, double the size pictures surprised and enchanted me.

I’m not quite ready to let summer go, but reads like this remind me just how much I adore Fall time. I can’t wait to go leaf hunting now!

OH! I almost forgot….The end-papers serve as a wonderful reference for the different leaves you might find out and about. It will help me identify the different leaves for sure.

Highly recommended.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, simple story in which a child imagines many ways to use a leaf. The illustrations are lovely, being executed in ink, watercolor, charcoal, photography and collage. Real leaves were integrated into each illustration. And a wonderful extra: in the back matter, the author/illustrator explains to young artists how to make their own leaf collage.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me long for the days of being a primary grade teacher in elementary school, where leaves were bountiful on the playground and then in the classroom, while we pondered the various possibilities for which we could use and explore them together.

[Libby Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful fall picture book where real leaves are used for the illustrations. Inspires creativity and imagination in a way that only the magic of autumn can.

My kids loved this and were immediately ready to go collect leaves to make their own leaf art.

I loved that the author/illustrator also included back matter info about how to preserve leaves.

Highly recommend for kids 3 and up!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this one so much more! I think the paucity of the storyline and how every 4th or so page wouldn’t rhyme bugged me.

The illustrations are amazing though!! Loved them. They created more of a story.

[Sarah BT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pair with a leaf craft.

[Roben · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! Perfect for reading after a leaf-gathering excursion - a young girl uses her imagination to explore all the different things a leaf could be. The rhyming is lovely and so are the illustrations!
There are instructions in the back for making a collage, leaves are identified on the inside covers, and be sure and peek under the dust jacket!
You could easily pair this with one of Lois Ehlert's leaf books for a fall story time!

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully poetic book built around the repeated use of the phrase "If you find a leaf." Illustrated pages feature real leaves turned into different things. The repetition and rhymed verse make the book very accessible. It would be a good mentor text for a similarly structured writing/art project. The cover pages actually include photographs of labeled leaves from real tress. This would be a great book to use in the fall as colors change.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous rhyming picture book about imagining what a leaf could be. I love that Sicuro included how she made the art, so that readers can make it too! I want to read and use this method for a STEAM Experiments next fall. It's also the right length for a fall storytime too! One of my favorite picture books of the year!

[Bel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is sheer joy, lovely words and gorgeous pictures

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations that will prompt readers to make their own art work out of leaves! Text is secondary and not really necessary to enjoy the book

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although autumn is a ways off, it's the best season of all for many individuals, including me, because of the colorful fall foliage. This beautiful picture book presents those leaves in unique ways. Using repetitive language ["If you find a leaf..." (unpaged)], the story follows a young girl who collects leaves and then draws on them for inspiration. She sees all sorts of possibilities in those leaves: maybe a hat, a sail, a parachute, a mask, a horn, even a blanket. And those possibilities provide starting points for some of her own artistic creations as shown in the illustrations. Her memories and those leaves will keep her company during winter as she eagerly awaits spring and the appearance of more greenery that will eventually turn colors again. Readers will surely be struck by the loveliness of the various scenes as well as how imaginative the author is with her use of the leaves in the illustrations, created with ink, watercolor, charcoal, photography, and collage--those leaves!--on every page. The endpapers even feature 29 different types of leaves, allowing readers to look for some of them in their own backyards. To add to the usefulness and sense of play found throughout the text, the back matter includes instructions on how to preserve fall leaves with water and glycerin and then use them as a base for an artistic creation or to tell a story. Teachers, parents, and caregivers might find such an activity useful on a rainy day. This picture book will most likely prompt more than a child or two--maybe even some adults--to go in search of just the right leaves when temperatures cool down and Mother Nature shows off her resplendent colors.

[Bianca Mazur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book which is why I think If You Find a Leaf should have won the Caldecott Medal 2022. It is about a little girl who finds a leaf and creates her own imagination of what she can do with the leaf. She stated that she can make it into a parachute, a skirt, or wheels to ride a bike. She thinks of many things to do with all the leaves falling to the ground. At the end of the book, there is a how-to guide for children to make their own collage of leaves. It helps children to try to be more connected to nature and I really how this book presents itself. This book would be for children ages 5-8 I would say because there aren't many words in the book and the pictures are really cool. The cover of the book is a page in the book. The leaf is part of the sailboat and I thought that was really cute. I would recommend this book to my students in my class.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

They're right; "inspiring" is a fitting word to describe this picture book. It's lovely and imaginative and whimsical. Featuring labelled photographs of different types of autumn leaves on the endpapers, it makes it so easy to recognize and identify the leaves pictured throughout the story.

Celebrating imagination and the beauty of nature, the author leaves the reader pondering, "What will I find? What will I create?" and thoughtfully provides easy instructions at the end, so that we, too, can preserve our supple leaf-finds. Have some glycerine on hand if you plan to do these projects with your kids after reading the book!

Autumn may be the *best* time to do the leaf collecting (for the widest variety of leaf colors), but there is no reason not to do it in spring and summer, too, if desired. 😊

[Emily Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you on a fun and creative adventure of all the different things a leaf an be when you find one. For example, it could be a hat, it could be a hammock or even a superhero cape. This book allows readers to dig deep into their imagination on what leafs can be except a leaf. I love how you can easily incorporate this book into your classroom and create so many fun activities for your students.
My favorite thing about this book is that when you take the book cover off, the actual book has a different illustration. It is a hot-air balloon that is a leaf. This is such a fun and creative cover.
The illustrations are very vibrant and whispy creating a lot of movement on the pages. I think it is very cool that they used pictures of real leaves in the illustrations.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this one. This title encourages imagination, being in touch with nature and the story line gives ideas but doesn’t say do this do that.
A young girl is looking at leaves and we see her thing about what the leaves could become which is all based on the shape of the leaves. My favorite illustration is the campfire using the Japanese maple leaf. End pages have the leaves illustrated with their names. Aimee Jicuri also includes a how to preserve leaves using glycerin. Jicuri has illustrated other picture books, but this is the first one she has written.

[Paige Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary Realistic
Grade Level: Pre-K - 3rd
I had not read this book before, but enjoyed it. I think this would be a great book to read aloud to children because there are few words on a page and the illustrations are amazing. The book would be great to read during fall because it is all about what to do when you find a leaf. I also noticed that in the front and back cover are several different pictures of leaves and the specific name of each and I thought that was a great detail added to the book. I highly recommend reading this book!

[Wade Huggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

If You Find a Leaf is the story of a little girl who finds leaves and dreams about the many different things a leaf could become in her imagination. The book contains directions on how dry and preserve leaves so you also could us your imagination to make a collage of fall leaves. The book ends with winter and the child waiting for spring when the new leaves will come. The little girl in the book presents as a Latina or possibly Asian.

[Amy Oberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If You Find a Leaf" is this generation's "Leaf Man" by Lois Ehlert. The simplicity of the story is enhanced by the intentional use of rhyme and cadence, and the illustrations are stunning. A must-have fall-themed selection for audiences of all ages!

Publication Date: 2022
Format: Picture book
Elements: Rhyme; lush, detailed watercolored illustrations; glossary of leaves; collage tips
Connection/Topics: Fall, leaves; creativity; imagination

[Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you find a leaf it could be your muse..."

A beautifully and creatively illustrated book that integrates photos of real fall leaves. As the mother of a collector who often has pocketfuls of leaves this time of year, this books sparks the imagination for all the ways that we can integrate the shapes and colors of fallen leaves into crafts, drawings, and our daily lives. It also includes instructions for creating your own collage world with fall leaves in the back.

[Jessica Tonkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemporary Realistic, Preschool-3rd Grade

This is a sweet book about a little girl who finds different species of leaves and uses her imagination to create amazing possibilities with them. The illustrations are so beautiful and I love how the author included photos and names of many kinds of popular trees' leaves. This would be great to take out on a leaf hunt as a class project, to help to identify different trees.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ode to the season of Fall, as the leaves begin to leave the trees, a child's imagination soars with every conceivable thought as to how the falling leaves can become something wonderful. A worthy read, that also has a guide on how to make a glycerin bath to preserve a leaf to help with collage creations.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect example of the many ways nature can inspire our imaginations. Reminds me of a quote I read recently from artist Rufino Tamayo, "Nature teaches us to see. I am constantly looking; I like to feel dry leaves, stones. Sometimes I draw from nature, plants. Above all, I look, I look all the time."

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming book! It is a real immersion into the arts. The story text is told in rhyme. Throughout my reading, I kept thinking what a wonderful art experience children can have as an extension activity. The author/illustrator agreed with me because she included instructions for an extension activity. While I enjoyed the book, I don't see it winning the Caldecott for 2023.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the summer season shifts to autumn, the world and its living residents seem ready. It's as if there is a collective sigh of relief to be rid of the excess heat, drought, and high humidity. Granted there are days of much-needed rain in the fall, but the days of crystal-clear air, startling blue and cloudless skies and a warming sun with dazzling sunrises and sunsets are worth those gray days.


The adornment of golden yellow, ruby red, and brilliant orange on the trees has resulted in longer walks with my canine companion. There are dazzling panoramic views and leaves along our pathway which appear to have been carefully placed in particular spaces for our enjoyment. Two 2022 titles focus on the enchantment of leaves and autumn. In the first title our imaginations are set free by the discovery of a leaf. If You Find a Leaf (Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, July 12, 2022) written and illustrated by Aimee Sicuro is an opportunity to create with abandon. It is a time to think and wonder without limits.

My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you use your imagination, what can a leaf be? Can it be a hat? A sail on a sailboat? The balloon on a hot air balloon? This doesn't have a plot, just an invitation with examples of what your imagination can make out of a colorful fall leaf. I can see this as the last book of a fall storytime, or even an art class in elementary school, leading to kids trying it out on their own.

[SamSamSam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this 5 stars but I could not make sense of the rhyme scheme for the life of me. It definitely rhymes, but the patterns is incredibly irregular, so much so that I forgot the read the words because I was trying to make sense of the pattern. The illustrations and premise are wonderful. I would still read it in storytime.

PLAY, print motivation,

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If you find a leaf, it could be your muse. Hanging high for you to paint its changing hues.” Beautifully illustrated in multimedia collage, this lyrical story fills the imagination with playful ways to engage with one of Nature’s most creative uses of shape and color: autumn leaves. Endnotes include a helpful technique for preserving leaves and suggestions for craft activities.

[L M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever let your imagination fly away like a leaf in the breeze? In this celebration of autumn the main character imagines real leaves becoming various forms of transportation and many other items. The collages of leaf photos and artwork is clever and well executed. Sícuro provides a how-to in the back matter