This would be great book to use at the start of the school year or anytime during autumn. It briefly has some factual statements about leaves but it is mostly about perseverance and learning to try something even when it’s scary.

The Very Last Leaf was a cute way to teach about the seasons change. My daughter picked up on the word play using Autum and the Fall, she enjoyed that. Where we're from we would say fall instead of autum. Also the lesson of overcoming your fears. Things may seem scary but if you don't try new things, step out of your comfort zone you will miss out on some great experiences. It was a pretty good book overall.

The Very Last Leaf is such a sweet picture book about facing your fears. It also have some really beautiful illustrations.

Stef Wade writes a charming story about Lance the leaf and his journey throughout the year. Lance is good at everything. From swaying in the wind to changing colors, he is at the top of his class. But when the time comes to leave the branch, Lance is scared. Lance’s teacher encourages him and he finally faces his fears and take off. This would be a great book to discuss anxiety and fears with students, Wade’s story classily covers these issue and would be great for children to hear.

The VeryLast Leaf by Stef Wade is a beautifully illustrated children's book about how even the best students sometimes aren't perfect and may need a little help and encouragement. Lance Cottonwood comes from a long line of the very best leaves. He has aced all of his tests but when it comes to facing the very last one, he is scared: Will he be able to face his fears or will be the first of his family to not make the jump? This book addresses the fact that even the most perfect seeming people may need help every once in a while in a playful way that is accompanied by illustrations in beautiful colors.

Adorable story that incorporates science terms that help make connections to previous science lessons. It can also be used to give courage to those facing the big "state" exam. Great resource for elementary science teachers.

I'm always on the lookout for books for kids that will help them understand their emotions and process through them. This book does a great job of walking readers through the emotions that are connected to fear, which is a hard concept for some children to verbalize. It incorporates science by talking about how leaves change in the fall, and I appreciated some of the science-related humor.

Overall between the illustrations and the gentle way the author incorporated some tough subjects, I thought that it was very well done.

[I received an advanced digital copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.]

I read this story with my 7 and 10 year old sons. My 10 year old especially loved it. He's an anxious child by nature so he really connected with the message in the book. It's a heartfelt but still lighthearted read that both my boys enjoyed. It's the kind of book I would recommend to teacher friends to share with their students. A really positive message

The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade, 32 pages. PICTURE BOOK
Capstone Editions, 2020. $18.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Lance is a leaf, and he’s a really good one. Except for the falling part. Is falling really necessary?
Lance’s story is about facing our fears. Everyone -- even leaves -- have something scary to overcome. Wade personifies leaves to help readers see that scary obstacles can be overcome and might not even be that bad. And Wade does it with a talented illustrator.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

What I Loved: The premise of helping children deal with a fear and being able to take that next step to overcome it.

How I Felt: I liked the story and I liked the illustrations. The writing was a bit off at times, but overall, just fine. I did not understand why a leaf was chosen for this book. When a leaf falls of a tree, it dies, so having the encouraging story with the teacher encouraging the leaf to jump just did not sit well for me. Overall, I don't know that a child will connect those dots, so it might not be a big deal, but it was an odd choice.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This is a bright and color book about death.

That's all I can figure out here. It is how leaves leave the tree in the fall, because they are deciduous, and that's what happens, and the tree, his teacher, keeps telling Lance to, well, jump, jump, jump.

I mean, I know leaves fall. That is not the point. But in this book, the leaves are a "class" and the tree is the "teacher". And the "teacher" wants the leaves to die, and fall off her.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/the-very-last-leaf.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5592" />

If this isn't a book about death and dying, I'm not sure what it is. It almost made me cry.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book avialbe for an honest review.

‘The Very Last Leaf’ is such a delight! Funny, encouraging and full of facts about trees, seasons and how to have courage. This title would make a great addition to a nature lesson plan!

This adorable book takes the reader on a difficult journey of facing their fears. The last leaf is scared to fall off the tree in Autumn. He's scared of the unknown, of failure, and changing. It's a great picture books to help children face their fears with love and support. For slightly older children, it could also be used to help them accept mortality and change. I point this out only because once the leaf falls and joins his friends, it's mentioned that the next group of new leaves will grow and fall as well. Reading into it, our little leaf hero it part of the circle of life. I will be requesting this to be purchased by our library.

I loved the colors and illustrations in this book. The story intrigued me and I enjoyed the way it encouraged children to talk about their fear with a trusted adult. The author wove facts about trees/leaves/seasons throughout the story in a way that was creative and flowed naturally.

It was odd to me that what happened after the leaves fell to the ground wasn't addressed. My daughter is only 5 and yet she was confused as to whether he was afraid to fall to the ground or whether he was afraid to die. This may be problematic for some children since it wasn't made clear. Regardless of the authors intention, this did create a fascinating dialogue in our home.

Other than that I found the book entertaining, informative and sweet. I loved the report card at the end which my daughter pointed out that you didn't have to get all A's and it's ok not to be best at everything. I would likely read this at home with my children and if we can find a way to address the what happens to the leaves when they fall bit, I would add this to a classroom or library.

The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts

You better be-leaf I'll be reading this book to my students! I teach students who are hospitalized for anxiety; this book will allow us to talk about fear in a safe way. The illustrations are adorable. . . I'm looking forward to using it to start off the semester!

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.)