Bear is suffering the loss of three of his siblings although we don't know this at the beginning. There is a hint in the illustration where you can see the outlines of three bears drawn in white pen sitting on a tree branch above Bear. We know these other three bears are not there because the text says:
"In the shadow of a tree that felt larger than life itself sat Bear, all alone. The wind bit and flicked at his fur. The cold scratched at his nose."
Stop for a minute and think about some of the word choices in this sentence: "felt larger than life itself" - overwhelming is a word we might use. And what about the word "bit" - sharp and painful.
Then a leaf falls off the tree.
"(it) floated its way down onto Bear's belly. It was the greenest, most beguiling leaf Bear at ever seen."
YES, you really did just read the word beguiling. And yes, this is a children's book - that's why we read books to our children - so that they can encounter rich words like this.
What about this leaf? It feels special, it smells special but here comes another 'crunch' word.
"It reminded him of mourning."
Wait a minute is that a typo - mourning - surely it should say morning! Oh no - go back to the title. Greaf - is this a book about grief? Yes, it is because now Bear has this leaf, he carries it everywhere.
Now onto this sentence which broke my heart:
"On the rare occasion Bear felt playful, he would wrestle with Greaf, as he once had with his brother and sisters."
If you know about grief, then you know it can be really hard to allow yourself to be happy. There is often a feeling of guilt because we wonder if we should laugh or play while we are supposed to be feeling sad. But grief changes in life just as it does in this book. The leaf was once a green and soft and it smelt good but over time we watch the leaf change. Finally, has become "rough and brittle and crisp and tense". And "for the first time in a long time, Bear let it go."
Thank you, Kelly Canby. Your book is profound and uplifting and never saccharine. In fact, this is such a deceptively simple story which is beautifully explored through text and illustration. There is so much to talk about and think about here on the topic of how we handle one of the deepest human emotions - grief.
A Leaf called Greaf is a CBCA 2025 Picture Book of the Year Notable title and it is one of three of four books that I am certain will be shortlisted. Check out my post about These Loved Things by Josh Pike. And I also think A Leaf Called Greaf will make the final set of winners.
One of the things that I think is important in Picture Book judging, when we think about an award such as the one from the Children's Book Council of Australia - relates to the universality of the book. Is this a book that could be shared with a child in another English-speaking country? Is this a book that should travel beyond our shores? Would you be excited to see this Australian book for sale in London or New York. Is this a book that transcends and age classification? (You could read this book to a child aged 6 or 7 and equally to an older child or gift it to an adult). I can answer YES to all of those questions when I think about A Leaf Called Grief. Also a fabulous picture book like this should expect readers to 'join the dots' - to have to think about the story and its deeper meanings.
You can see inside this book here on Kelly Canby's webpage and she also shares some other review comments. Click on her name which is a label for this post and you will find other splendid books by Kelly Canby.
Some years ago, I penned a post here about an adult book called Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper. She was looking for books to share with her very young children on the topic of loss and grief and death. Even though her partner did not die, and her children are much older now I hope she has a chance to see this glorious book because I'm sure it will touch her heart, and I think it might match her hopes for a book that she could have shared with her children.
Please take four minutes to watch this video about the importance of talking about grief with our children and listen right to the end because her final words are crucial. Then try to find these brilliant companion books:
