Picture book themes - letting go, accepting change

 

I recently read these two books about letting go; about courage; about change; and about risk taking both of which are told through as a parable or fable. At first glance you might think these are books about trees, leaves, seeds and autumn but really they have much deeper themes and they have such contrasting illustration styles.

Little Tree lives in the forest with the other trees. When Autumn begins all of his companions shed their leaves but "he just hugged his leaves tight." Seasons come and go but Little Tree just won't let those leaves go. The forest trees around him grow taller and taller until "one summer, Little Tree could no longer feel the sunlight." Finally he does let go and something miraculous happens. Read more about Little Tree in these review comments:

A strong picture book with an important message that is cleverly told, this book encourages young readers to embrace change and the uncertainties of life. Waking Brain Cells

In Little Tree, Loren so perfectly captures what it means to move on with courage and bravery. ... I believe that everyone, children and adults alike, will bring their own experiences to this book and come away with renewed hope and encouragement that it’s OK to move on and let go. Reading with Mr Teut

In this video Loren Long talks about his book and the deeper themes he wanted to share. 

My second book, Stay Little Seed, was originally published in Italy with the title Chissadove. When the wind blows all the seeds fly away - north, south and "even who knows where." But one tiny seed stayed. The tree and the seed form a relationship with the tree protecting the little seed until one morning a magpie plucks the seed off the tree. Luckily the magpie drops the seed. The tiny seed is not "who knows where" it is very close and over time it grows into a new sapling. Read more about Stay, Little Seed in these review comments:

Stay, Little Seed celebrates the rhythms of the natural world and shares a gentle message for all of us, no matter our age: Sometimes, by letting go and being brave, we begin life’s greatest adventures. A Book and a Hug

Careful nurturing begets the launch into the unknown: Valentini celebrates both as natural and fitting. Kirkus

Cristiana Valentini comes from Italy and Philip Giordano lives in Japan. You can see the whole book here.

Fletcher and the falling leaves by Julia Rawlinson illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke

 

A poetic tribute to winter and fall, Fletcher’s story is sure to resonate with young readers. Kirkus

Fletcher is worried. His favourite tree looks brown and dull and dry. Fletcher is sure his tree is unwell. His mother tells him not to worry - it is autumn. But Fletcher does not understand and as the days and weeks go by his tree looks worse. Standing under the tree a leaf falls off. Fletcher catches the leaf and ties it back on but the leaf falls off again and the next day more and more leaves have fallen. Birds gather them for their nests, squirrels gather them for their nests and even the porcupine takes some. The birds can see how distressed Fletcher has become and so they poke the leaves back onto the branches but the wind picks up again and the next morning all of the leaves are on the ground and the tree has bare branches. Now there is only one leaf left. When this last leaf falls Fletcher takes it home and places it in a tiny bed. 

What comes after Autumn - Winter! Fletcher goes outside and his tree is transformed with a thousand icicles. Make sure you touch this last page - Tipanie Beeke has added glitter which makes a beautifully tactile page. 

Weston Woods have an animated version of Fletcher and the falling leaves.  Sadly we can no longer purchase Weston Woods DVDs here in Australia. 

It's Autumn here in Australia and this is my favourite season. I love the colourful leaves and the crunch of them underfoot and the cooler nights, lower humidity and sunny days are wonderful. 

Fletcher and the falling leaves was first published in 2006 but it is still available and there is a newer paperback edition. This is one book from the series called Fletcher's Four Seasons:

And a new Fletcher book has just been released. Fletcher and the Caterpillar was published in March 2021 and will be followed by Fletcher and the Rainbow in August 2021, Fletcher and the Rockpool in June 2022 and Fletcher and the Stars in October 2022. Here is the web site for Julia Rawlinson.

The name Tiphanie Beeke intrigued me. She studied in London and lives in the South of France.

I found quite a few video versions on YouTube of Fletcher and the falling leaves.  If you are working with teacher education students it might be useful to use these to compare ways of reading a picture book - pausing, pace, page turns, showing the cover, end papers, title page, back cover etc.

Children's Books Read Aloud

A story for Boo

Sonoma County

Family Literacy storytime

My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything has a blog post where she shares books filled with Autumn leaves. She also has a Pinterest filled with Autumn books.

A Leaf or a Rock or Water Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas illustrated by Violeta Dabija

A rock is a rock.

It's sand, pebble, stone.

Each rock tells a story

a tale of its own.

A leaf is a leaf.

It bursts out each spring

when sunny days linger

and orioles sing.

Water is water

its puddle, pond, sea.

When spring time comes splashing,

the water flows free.

Here we have a set of three books with links to excellent teaching notes.  In our schools we have started to promote mindfulness and the quiet contemplation of our world. While these books are perfect they are also very expensive but you might find one or all of them in a library.  You can see inside all three at the Publisher Web Site. They would all be great to use with Leaf Stone Beetle by Ursula Dubosarsky which you may remember is a new Australian book I really love.

Teaching Notes for A Leaf Can Be.

Teaching notes for A Rock Can Be.

Teaching notes for Water Can Be.
Kirkus Star Review

A contemplative and thought-provoking ode to the forms water takes and the functions it serves, both practical and whimsical. Once again, the author’s staccato rhymes leapfrog unexpectedly from one idea to the next, almost like a free-association game Publishers Weekly

Back in 2012 I talked about another book by Laura Purdie Salas - Book Speak.  Here is a page from A Rock Can be.

Image Source Lerner https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/13442

Leaf Stone Beetle by Ursula Dubosarsky illustrated by Gaye Chapman

A meditation on nature and transience ...

This is a remarkable, unique and truly special book. Why do these words spring to mind?

Remarkable - in a world where we seem to work in categories for books the publisher Dirt Lane Press have taken a risk (thank you) and published this small format book that is not quite a picture book, not quite a junior novel. It has 24 pages with three double pages used for the almost tactile etching-style illustrations.

Unique - I cannot think of another book with such a quiet focus in this format, especially one that features a leaf (plant), beetle (animal) and stone (object).

Truly Special - this is a book with layers of meaning. It is simple enough to share with a young child and complex enough to sustain an in depth discussion with older students and adults.

Leaf is young. Leaf is the "littlest and greenest of them all. It had been the very last to grow." Leaf watches as the other leaves turn gold and yellow and then in a storm they fall off the tree. I love the idea that the leaves collectively make this decision to let go of the branch. The little green leaf is left behind until later "that afternoon there was a breeze so gentle that only the little green leaf could feel it. ... The little green leaf floated like a snowflake through the air, all the way down down."

Look at the key words here - a gentle breeze so gentle only the leaf can feel it.  This seems so important because by now it is the end of the first story and as a reader, somehow in just five pages, via the internal monologue of the leaf, we have come to like, perhaps even love, this little character. I am glad the breeze was gentle. The leaf also has a quiet wisdom. Waiting patiently for when the time is right and not feeling compelled to follow the crowd of other leaves.  We read that the leaf floated, like a snowflake - perhaps this anticipates the season to come. Best of all the leaf is safe.

In the second "chapter" we meet Stone. Up until now the world of Stone has been under the river but during the same storm from earlier in the story the river swells and Stone is washed up on the bank -  "with a lurch and a thump, the stone was dragged amongst the gnarled roots of the tree. When the water receded, Stone found itself alone in the dry breath of the world."

The upheaval of the storm is such a contrast with Leaf gently falling. In this scene we have words like spinning, twisting, gushing and hurtling! Look at that final sentence. The dry breath of the world. Can Stone survive out of the water? Will the world that Stone knows change in confusing or positive ways? I felt such a jolt as Stone is left alone on the bank. This is so odd because Stone is not alive but we have heard what Stone is thinking and Stone feels "alive".

The third section of this 24 page book focuses on Beetle. Like Leaf and Stone, Beetle is an individual. Beetle wants to take her time and quietly observe the world. She looks at pollen, spider webs, and even the footprints of ants. How wonderful is that idea! Beetle lives near the tree where we met Leaf and the stream where we met Stone. It is the same day. The storm arrives. Beetle grabs hold of a little green leaf - yes it is our Leaf. The pair fall into the river.  "On they tumbled together, rushing and plunging and swooping." By chance Beetle sees a stone - yes it is our Stone. The stone provides a perfect shelter for her.

"For now we are together and safe, but in a moment we may be washed away again. And whatever happens, wherever we are washed to, we will always be in the world, like the stars in the sky."

Can I just say again that this book has just 24 pages and yet here we have a way to talk about philosophy and perhaps even the meaning of life.

This story first appeared in our NSW School Magazine in 2007. I wish I could find a copy to see the evolution of this story. You might like to use this video of Red Leaf Yellow leaf by Lois Ehlert with a younger group of children as a comparison text. You could also compare the art in this book by Gaye Chapman with Narelle Oliver especially her book The Hunt. I loved reading that Gaye based her Beetle on our Australian Christmas Beetle - one of my favourites beetles. One more thing to think about - the way the title is presented without commas - Leaf Stone Beetle.

Image source: https://australianmuseum.net.au/xmas-beetle-id-guide-app

Three other books to read alongside Leaf Stone Beetle would be Aranea,  Silence and  Life. 

Take a look at Ursula's web site.  Make sure you read through this excellent set of Teachers Notes where Ursula explains her motivation for writing this book and you can also find a set of questions which will allow your students to think more deeply about this text.

I hope you can tell I love this book. AND yes I am going to predict it will be short listed for our CBCA Awards in 2019. Surely the judges will not let this treasure slip away.


It’s simple yet layered, and it invites interpretation and discussion around ideas as complex as individuality, transition and community.  Books and Publishing

Here is a quote from Dirt Lane Press which explains their philosophy and neatly matches the content of Leaf Stone Beetle. Click on their name to read more about their work.

Dirt Lane Press:

Research tells us that literature, like life, leaves its mark on our minds and bodies.

The richer the literature, the more profoundly we are affected.