This is a great story of a student leaf that breezes through all his classes. He has classes in budding, wind resistance, photosynthesis, color-changing, and falling. Falling is hard for Lance Cottonwood, It is his last class and he is afraid. As a leaf on a deciduous tree he must fall in the winter as trees of this type lose their leaves in the fall. Other leaves are starting to call him names as they realize that he is scared,

This book has a good lesson for children. Even when most subjects are easy, there will be one that is difficult class or subject we need to master. Instead of complaining or crying we should just attempt what needs to be done. Not everyone will have the same assignments, but each of us has something we can do.

An excellent book that can used in classrooms to start the discussion on fear, and anxiety. The topic is covered very simply, and that makes it relatable to multiple audiences. The illustrations are soothing, and the colour palette that was used is well tuned to the story.

Adorable fall picture book! Perfect for back to school reading. Would be a great read for a group of kids.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Capstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book; it is too cute. The illustrations and colours are beautiful.

Lance is a know-it-all and is the first and best at everything, until it is time to fall off the tree. Lance has a hard time letting go and for the first time he is the last in his class to complete his assignment. With the help of his teacher Lance identified and faced his fear, which enabled him to fall and graduate.

This book would be a great way to talk to kids about our fears and how we can overcome them. I can't wait to read A Place for Pluto and future books from Stef Wade.

#TheVeryLastLeaf #NetGalley

My son and I read this book before bed last night ad we loved discovering the life of a leaf in an easy and enjoyable way. The illustrations are great and easily made interactive as we read. This is a great book to introduce nature and the way that it works in a fun and captivating way.

This was adorable! This little story is a great way to help kids face their fears while also teaching them about nature in a cute and fun way! The art style was also very cute and visually appealing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone Editions for providing me with a free copy of this book. The following is my honest opinion. This is a very good book. It is a book for young readers and one that takes them through the life cycle of a cottonwood leaf. Lance Cottonwood excels in all his leafly studies except the final one - falling to the ground at the end of the season. The book helps teach children how to overcome fear, bur the hidden message for me is to overcome the fear of death. Truly, what is falling to the ground for a leaf - it is its death and Lance Cottonwood is afraid of this. While it is never discussed, it still was a predominant theme for me in this book and certainly can be used by adults to teach a multitude of lessons (at the right time) about fear of life and death. I felt this was a marvelous book with the only drawback being the rather simplistic illustrations. Thank you for netgally and capstone publishing for letting me enjoying the Advance Readers Copy! My kids love love it!

Name: The Very Last Leaf
Author: Stef Wade
Illustrator: Jennifer Davison
Age: +5
Genre: Children's Fiction
Source: Netgalley
Review.:
A nice cute short story about the Lance, a leaf of Cottonwood tree. He was the top student of his class. But as Autumn came, he has worries of falling. It is a funny and encouraging book, which teaches us to overcome our fears and shine brightly in the sky.
My Opinion: It is a heart warming story about overcoming our fears and passing all the hurdles in our path. The illustrations are really amazing and just melts my heart.

What a great life lesson! This books teaches kids a little science while teaching them that is ok to be scared and not always be the best at everything. My five and seven year old loved it! We will definitely be reading this one again and again (especially in the fall!)

The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade. Publication Date: September 1, 2020

Description from NetGalley
Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest of the leaves, but even the top students on the tree have worries. Can Lance conquer his fear of falling and just let go when the time comes for his final exam, or will he let his worries take over?

Thank you to @NetGalley, @capstonepub for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This book has great pictures and the colours are vibrant. For young readers, it’s more of a read-aloud book, because there are big words relating to science, such as wind-resistance (though there are descriptions at the back to help explain the science). Also, it is best to read-along, because the story touches on fears, anxieties and social interactions. Expect to add more information for discussion purposes when it comes to the social-emotional parts. Overall, it’s a great picture book that is a mixture of science and emotions. Also, a good conversation starter about emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I know the saying is to not judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly how I came across this one.

The illustrations are fantastic and the text is on par. I appreciate the lesson learned in this one and the facts seamlessly woven in to the story.

My one concern is that if kids know or learn that fallen leaves die and become food for the tree (as mentioned in the book), this may take on a different tone. And if you're reading it with that tone, this could almost be read as a horror. I recognize that may just be how my brain works, but I guarantee there are kids out there who are the same.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. Very cute, but kids like I was might see the death part of the story and get freaked out. Be prepared to answer their questions.

Good, i like the illustration and the layout
However, I don't understand why it must relate the process of falling with education. I mean, what do it learn? It just too abstract for me

An adorable story that reminds kids it's okay to be afraid to do something new. It helps for them to see that even Lance who seems to be good at everything has something that he is afraid to do until he finds the confidence to take that leap. The illustrations are beautiful and engaging for children. The 4 and 6 year olds that I nanny were very interested in this story and the 2 year old just wanted to look at the pictures but still sat with us while I read it.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it! Not only is it educational about trees, but about personal growth and overcoming fear. I really hope we get this book in when it is released!

This lovely illustrated book covers both science and emotions. I definitely recommend it for helping children realize it is okay to be afraid and that fears can be overcome, while also learning about the science of trees.

This story gave me so many emotions as a parent watching my kids anticipating what Lance was going to do. A story of trying your best, perseverance and celebration for goals accomplished. A cute tale with an even bigger message.

Love the art in this book and the message is great especially for kids. The colors really added to the story. A very sweet little book.

Nice book about being courageous and addressing ones fears. I enjoyed the illustrations and reading this book to my daughter.

Love the message and it’s accompanied by such adorable artwork. Perfect message for a child that’s worried about failing.

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

That cute little leaf on the cover made me request this book and I am so glad that I did. Jennifer Davison did a beautiful job illustrating this picture book; the first thing we see in picture books are the illustrations so it's important to get it right. There is a simplicity to her work that is deceiving as it is full of detail that keeps the focus on Lance and the other leaves.

A picture book can't rely solely on illustrations - it's got to have a strong message and skilled writing to convey the message. Truly great picture books are those that have something for young children to older children and even to adults. Wade skillfully weaves twists of phrases that are common in our speech but add humor to the book. Younger readers may miss these but what an excellent way to begin to introduce them to these phrases and concepts.

This book has both great illustrations and an empowering message that is true for anyone, no matter their age.

As an educator, this book has a lot to offer in the classroom. At first glance, it's a wonderful way to bring literacy into a science lesson on the life cycle of plants, specifically leaves, as well as how plants work including concepts such as photosynthesis and a simple explanation as to why leaves change their color. Wade uses rich vocabulary like jealous, sturdy and quivering to explore the growth and emotions that Lance has. Finally, this book is an excellent choice to strengthen social-emotional skills. Whether we are 4, 10, 15, 35 or 72, we all have moments of the unknown that can cause us to hesitate out of fear, which is where Lance finds himself when Autumn comes. I appreciate that Wade doesn't just send the message to "face your fear and jump" but to talk about your worry, prepare and then leap with confidence, all in a gentle, encouraging way. Certainly this is a great book to open the discussion for preschoolers as they are faced with so many new experiences in their world that can cause them concern. If we examine childhood in full, we will see that this is true for our middle grade students, our pre-teens, and our teenagers. I could see this book being used for all of those ages, with varying depth of discussion.

There is one element that I find slightly confusing in this book. The book begins with a reference to Lance's "first day of school in the Spring". This will be confusing to young readers as we start school in the fall here in the states. It makes perfect sense when you think about the life cycle of a leaf. I am not sure if this book would be great for fall when we talk about leaves changing color and falling or for spring when we talk about life cycles.

As I first began to read this book, I had a thought that this would be a wonderful graduation present for a high school senior, much in the way that Oh the Places You'll Go has been used. As much as we would like to think that life is smooth sailing, we know that there are bumps and potholes along the journey. What an inspiring message to send that you believe a graduate has done so well and will continue to do so.

I gave this book: ★★★★★
★★★★★ = I loved it