The Very Last Leaf is a children’s book written by Stef Wade, and illustrated by Jennifer Davison.
Summary: Lance Cottonwood is a very bright leaf. He does well in all his leaf classes-even in Pigment Changing. But when it comes to Falling-Lance isn’t so sure. What if something goes wrong?
My Thoughts: This is a cute book with a good message. It is perfect for nervous or anxious children, special needs children that struggle with change, and would be especially great for a teacher to read to students at the beginning of a school year, or before a big test.
The illustrations are beautiful, the story is humorous (I thought the Progress Report at the end was an especially nice touch), and the book does a wonderful job of helping children learn that it is OK to face their fears. I would definitely recommend this book.
Thank you to Capstone for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

This is such a cute book filled with beautiful illustrations. Basically, it is set during Autumn follows the journey of a leaf until it is time to fall in Autumn. This process for the particular leaf (the main character of this story) are all lessons, and tests.

I enjoyed reading it, and it has some interesting facts in the last page about leaves formatted as if it was the leaf's report card.

This is a good way to teach children about trees and leaves!

A lovely story of a leaf who is afraid to fall. Kids will identify with the leaf's anxiety in leaving its comfortable and familiar surroundings and finding the confidence to do something new. Children will see how the leaf grew and evolved by achieving its goal. The life cycle of a leaf is described which adds another educational dimension to the book.

4/5 Stars

This is a really adorable children’s book. Providing kids with the underlining lesson of overcoming your fears. The illustrations are stunning and my favorite part of this book. I would most certainly like to purchase this for my kids to read. I really enjoyed the report card as well with information about the cycle of leaves. It would be interesting if you have a cleaver kid, when they eventually comment on how that’s the end of the leaf’s life.

Overall, very cute read.

The illustrations were a bit repetitive. I wish the characters didn’t all look so similar. Even if they’re leaves from the same tree there could have been some improvement in the character design. The message felt too simplistic for the language level used and I was a bit bothered by the fact that when leaves fall, they die and yet the message seemed to e that it’s okay to “fall”. The whole death metaphor seemed strange.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This cute book is a great book to help teach young children about how some things in life can be a challenge or be scary or daunting to them but with courage and support they can achieve anything.
This book is also a great book to teach children about science as it has scientific words relating to trees and seasons.
A fabulous book to share with all children!

I loved this story! First of all, the artwork was beautiful, really nice autumnal colours for most of the story. The little jokes were funny. All in all, this was a lovely story of triumph as well as being educational in teaching children how the seasons work for trees.

Received an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This is a cute little book about a leaf that struggles to overcome his fears. I just fell in love with the story and with the illustrations. I think this is a perfect story for children to learn how everyone, even "perfect" students have fear and that it is possible to overcome it.

Completely recommended.

The art in this was beautiful and I appreciated the overall story, but the pacing felt off. The best friend was used at odd intervals and it felt almost jarring when they would pop in a picture of the never speaking evergreen.

The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade is a stunning picture book about facing your fears. Lance Cottonwood aces the various tests that leaves need to pass, however, when it comes time to fall, he gets a little stuck. Stef Wade's writing is informative and engaging for Stage 2 (Australian Primary School) and older. I can't wait to introduce this book during our science lessons and in the library for students to explore.

Cute Autumn-themed picture book about one leaf and how it's grows. I'm not always a huge fan of personifying things like leaves but this was done in an interesting way. We see Lance go through all the stages of a leaf so the reader, or listener, learns about leaves. The text is a bit longer so more appropriate for 4-6 y/o. The back matter included more information about the changes trees go through in Autumn. The illustrations are cute.

Suitable for 4-5 years of age. I loved the cover and the illustration! For picture books, most of everything about them lies in the illustrations and this one didn't disappoint me at all. The art work is vivid and the right kind of colourful. The different objects stood out and the character illustration is so damn amazing! The art sequence is maintained well till the end. However, I feel the story is a bit unreasonable and somewhat disconnected considering the main character to be a leaf and the main story is about school and grading. It seems like it might confuse the kids. I felt weird reading about leaves and grading them for just going through their natural process of falling down a tree.
But I still appreciate the encouraging motivational simple dialogues.
I enjoyed a lot reading this one especially the illustrations.
Thank you #NetGalley for providing me an arc of #TheVeryLastLeaf.

This book was cute and unique. Exquisite illustrations and very educational while still being entertaining! It is fun to have a book that explores subjects that you don’t often see in kids books, like photosynthesis, and tree classifications, while also tackling life situations like fear. I would definitely recommend!

The very last Leaf is a super cute picture book about a leaf who is excelling at school until one day it is his turn to fall from the tree. The illustrations and colors are attractive to the reader and the text is easy to read. However, I'm unsure about the actual syntax of the dialogue. The premise of a school for leaves and that they have to jump off the tree as their final was strange.

I'm unsure about the appeal of the actual text to primary readers whom this subject would appeal to. The illustrations are super attractive and would appeal to young readers.

The publisher generously provided me with a copy of the book upon request on NetGalley. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

I loved this children's book so much! The artwork was absolutely stunning, and the story focused on encouraging a little leaf to to get over his fears and face reality. I'll admit it was a bit strange seeing a teacher encourage a leaf to fall off a tree (since that's how leaves die?), but the moral of the story was with regards to facing your fears and finding the encouragement and confidence to succeed, which is an excellent message for children.

I also liked the different depths this book offered. At the surface level, it's a simple story with wonderful illustrations. For children who may be a bit older, they will also hear words and terms such as "photosynthesis" and "pigment changing" which will allow them to learn about these processes, and the science behind it. As a result, the book presents great opportunities to learn at different levels!

Thank you to the publisher (Capstone Editions) for providing me with a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley. The Very Last Leaf will hit shelves in August 2020.

Beautiful illustrations but I'm conflicted over the story. A lot of children struggle with social issues so the message this books wants to portray is an import 1. But I'm not sure about the example used. Some children are very sensitive and might find it upsetting.

This book was super adorable.

In this book Lance Cottonwood is at the top of his class in school. But when he gets to his final exam of letting go and falling to the ground, he can't seem to get past his fear. Can he face his fear with the help of his teacher?

I really enjoyed this book. I liked that Lance seemed like he had it all together but inside he was really scared. It teaches kids that everyone has fears that they don't necessarily show. And I loved that Lance talked his fears through with his teacher and was able to see that he could face them. Overall, this was super adorable and I will be looking for it in September to buy for my niece!

Lance Cottonwood is a very smart leaf, why he is one of the brightest in his class. He passes his tests and exams with ease... except for one... the final one!


"This test would take him from the top of his sturdy tree to the grass down below." Oh my! How scary is that?

All the other leaves can't wait to take the plunge but as they all depart Lance becomes more and more anxious and afraid to disengage because soon it will be his turn to go. He makes up excuses to delay his departure and as he waits he imagines all the scary scenarios that can possibly happen to him when he does. Poor guy. His classmates sense his apprehension and fearfulness and begin mocking him calling him names.

"I guess he's not good at everything."
"He's a sacredly leaf!"

Can Lance overcome his fright and take the downward flight like his friends so easily managed to do?

This sweet book is a perfect conversation starter to help kids open up and share fears that might be troubling them. I like the way the leaves that have succeeded in their descent all praise Lance's bravery and make him feel so happy at what he has accomplished. The book touts encouragement and hope and the fact that fears can be faced head on and conquered.

I also like the Progress Report Card at the end of the book rating Lance's performances throughout the year by his teacher. It is liberating to know that he did not receive A's on every subject and eludes to the fact that you don't have to be best at everything you tackle. The illustrations are very well done and Lance is a sweet, relatable character.

Some reviewers seem disturbed that the ending is too morbid because Lance knows that once he jumps that will be the end of him. I would rather be more optimistic and positive. Lance now will become part of some beautiful rich compost that will give life-giving nutrients to a brand new cottonwood tree. He will part of that tree and many, many more to come. His future can be very bright. I highly recommend this book.

5 Magnificent ⭐️!!!!!!!!

This book is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

First of all I want to say how magnificent the artwork is! The colours are very crisp, on point, appealing, & pleasing! The gradient, colour combination & how the artist draw is stunning! It’s just sooo cute and I am just speechless! Wow!

The fonts are brilliant! I love how the fonts change, there are smaller ones and bigger ones with fading colours which is just superb!

The story is so adorable and unique! Lance is a great student but even though he is great, he is still bullied by his other leaf classmates. The story is so charming. I love how Lance finally got the courage to do what he has to do.

Conclusion:
The story is the cutest I have ever read! The artworks, fonts & story is amazing! This is such a wonderful story that I would want my future children to read!

If you’re a fan of Children’s story this is definitely a must read. Children’s fiction are definitely not only for children! If you’re a fan definitely push for it!

What a delightful read!
Lance Cottonwood is a character with whom my young readers will easily identify. Here is a prize pupil at the top of his class. Yet, he is so afraid of falling from the tree that he conjures up excuse after excuse. When he finally gets the courage through the assistance of his teacher, he succeeds and his fears are allayed.
With the help of fellow students and his teacher, he overcomes his fears and moves on. The themes of inclusiveness, help and success ring true. The illustrations enhance the story. I enjoyed the puns and humor described.
The definitions at the books' conclusion were written in such a clever way. I especially enjoyed the Progress Report." The theme of not handling your problems alone is emphasized by the teacher in a clever way.
Wade is a favorite in my Media Center. Her previous book, "A Place for Pluto," is always in demand and this latest will do the same.