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Overview
As all the other leaves float off and fly past, Little Yellow Leaf thinks, I'm not ready yet.
As the seasons change all around, Little Yellow Leaf holds on to the tree. Still not ready.
Will Little Yellow Leaf ever be ready?
This is a story for anyone who has ever been afraid of facing the unknown—and a celebration of the friends who help us take the leap.
Synopsis
As all the other leaves float off and fly past, Little Yellow Leaf thinks, I'm not ready yet.
As the seasons change all around, Little Yellow Leaf holds on to the tree. Still not ready.
Will Little Yellow Leaf ever be ready?
This is a story for anyone who has ever been afraid of facing the unknown—and a celebration of the friends who help us take the leap.
The New York Times - David Barringer
Carin Berger, the author and illustrator, allows the raw materials of her collages to show through, including the lines of graph paper and the type of newspapers and old books. Notebook paper brings schoolwork to mind, but with scissors Berger transforms the stuff of homework into art. Adults will note with satisfaction the snipping-up of receipts and water-meter readings. The creases and stains and faded edges suggest a nice parallel between aging paper and aging leaves. Berger's technique is a great relief compared with the glossy slickness of computer illustration: Readers will understand that it's O.K. to let imperfections show. The visibly hand-crafted look should inspire kids to race to the art room and say, "I can do this."
Editorials
David Barringer
Carin Berger, the author and illustrator, allows the raw materials of her collages to show through, including the lines of graph paper and the type of newspapers and old books. Notebook paper brings schoolwork to mind, but with scissors Berger transforms the stuff of homework into art. Adults will note with satisfaction the snipping-up of receipts and water-meter readings. The creases and stains and faded edges suggest a nice parallel between aging paper and aging leaves. Berger's technique is a great relief compared with the glossy slickness of computer illustration: Readers will understand that it's O.K. to let imperfections show. The visibly hand-crafted look should inspire kids to race to the art room and say, "I can do this."—The New York Times
Children's Literature -
A beautiful tribute to those special friends who stand by our side when we are finally ready to leap into something new, Carin Berger's latest picture book leaves the reader feeling like she has gently fallen into a fresh pile of leaves. Elegant collages comprised of scraps of ephemera, used catalogs, and even ticket stubs create a warm, woodsy feel complementing the book's spare text. "Not ready" the Little Yellow Leaf muses while autumn leaves drop all around him. "Not ready" he thinks as snow falls and he is left all alone. Or so he thinks until he notices a soul mate, a Little Scarlet Leaf who has also held on tightly high up in the tree. Finally, they decide together to leap into the great unknown, creating beautiful script "L" patterns in the sky above a human pair of skating friends. Easily enjoyed by both children and adults, the youngest listeners/readers will enjoy the "not ready" refrain and the luminous colors, while adults will appreciate the sophisticated illustrations and perhaps recognize themselves in the leaves' hopeful journey. Reviewer: Debra Lampert-RudmanSchool Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2
The human capacity for volition and fear of the unknown is central to this tale. A lone yellow leaf clings to a giant oak tree and watches the unfolding drama of winter's approach, refusing to let go of his branch. A "riot of fiery leaves" swirls to the ground, apples grow "musky" and pumpkins ripen, geese fly south, and eventually snow flurries fill the air, but still the leaf holds fast. Finally, he spies a small scarlet leaf attached high above that invites him to let go. Together, they soar away and join in a dance with the wind. In Berger's eye-catching collage illustrations, pieced background papers in shades of yellow, green, blue, and beige show off stylized forms of naked tree branches, leaves, and sun created by clipping and pasting (sometimes tiny) segments of various papers-faded, lined ledger, and graph paper; colored and printed magazine pages-and adding touches of paint. It seems the message to be inferred from this slight anthropomorphic tale is that feelings of indecision can be overcome by heeding the encouragement of another. Some parents may be inclined to disagree.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, Ohio