This is a delightful book aimed at teaching very young children about leaves falling in the autumn. It also addresses anxiety and lack of confidence when trying something new, in this case, falling from the tree. I like the progress report at the end which explains a little of the science of leaves. Thank you to Stef Wade, Net Galley and the publisher, Capstone for an ARC.

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 liked the concept and message conveyed.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

I can't wait to read this book next fall to my class. I love the story and the illustrations. "The Very Last Leaf" is a story of overcoming fear hat we all can relate to. I especially loved the ending where Lance Cottonwood graduates.

What a great way to talk to little ones about fear, anxiety, and bravery! It reminded me so much of stories about jumping from the high dive at the public pool. Everyone is looking and you're terrified, but you jump anyway and everything turns out fine. Love the illustrations as well.

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 attached to) was encouraging him to end his life, especially since the book completely glosses over that part of a leaf's life cycle.

I guess this would be okay for kids who aren't going to pick up on the morbid aspects of the text. But for older readers, Mrs. Timber's tactics might seem creepy and predatory. Yes, leaves must fall. But I've seen trees with straggling leaves that manage to hang on long past all the others. Why was the teacher so obsessed with all her students getting to the ground to begin the process of decay? (Easy for her to say. She's the one who benefited from all her students' hard work.)

Very cute little book with a great enjoyable lesson. The illustrations were adorable and the writing was so cute. Would recommend for any library or family!

I loved this picture book! Readers will love the beautiful art work and ease of text. The author has a wonderful message about text anxiety and overcoming the fear of failure.

This little book was absolutely precious. Not only that, it was perfect for teaching kids it’s ok to be afraid and to just try!

This book works as a quick read with a bit of science. I enjoyed the illustrations, but the story fell a bit flat for me -- not enough substance to make it meaningful and not playful enough to be a great breezy book. That sad, it's definitely not bad -- just didn't really capture my attention.

The Very Last Leaf is an adorable story about facing your fears and trusting yourself. Lance Cottonwood is a great role model for younger children who need to learn the value of believing in themselves. I would highly recommend this book to kindergarten and first grade teachers.

"The Very Last Leaf" is a cute and simple children's book. Nothing amazing, but the art and story are nice.

A book about fears and how to overcome them .This book can be helpful in teaching children that it's all right to be afraid but the important thing is how you can overcome it.

This was such a cute book! It tells a story of courage, and hopefully will help children be courageous too!

This book was adorable. Both the illustrations and the storyline were simple, but beautiful. The little leaf who was scared of falling would be a good way to teach children about courage, and to awaken their interest in science.

Well, this was a clunky piece. It sort of shows us a leaf on a tree that has to go through its usual cycle, of losing its green colour and dropping to earth, so we get a bit of nature science and biology, but it's actually about the fact the leaf has such a massive self-doubt about the commitment required to leave the tree. So it's clunky not because of its ultimate lesson, and encouraging mood, but it is certainly clunky for having such an unusual 'character'. It's also quite clunky in having very badly punning speech in a clunkingly large font. It was perfectly passable, but I can't believe there aren't better examples of people taking the plunge that very young readers could more easily empathise with. Two and a half stars.

This is such an adorable book! As a teacher, I think this book will be perfect for the beginning of the school year, and I will definitely be purchasing it to read to my students! The story is a great way to show students that even though we might struggle with something, we can overcome our fears! I loved the addition of the progress report at the end of the book.