Leaf Trouble - Hardcover

JONATHAN EMMETT is the author of the bestselling I Love You Always and Forever and Ruby books. He lives in Nottingham, England with his family.
CAROLINE JAYNE CHURCH is the acclaimed illustrator of many books for children, including I Love You Through and Through and One Smart Goose. She lives in Surrey, England.

PreSchool-Grade 1—Pip Squirrel's first fall finds him confused and concerned: his family's oak tree is falling apart. The leaves have changed from summer green to yellow, red, and orange and are fluttering to the ground. He elicits his sister's help to gather them and stick them back on the branches. Mom Squirrel patiently, but erroneously, explains that "taking care of the leaves was hard work for the tree...it needed to rest awhile" and that the leaves will return in the spring. Pip likens the leaves coming and going to the sun setting and rising. Even though their mother's explanation is incorrect, her children are satisfied with her account and are pleased that, come spring, their home will begin to look the way it used to. The colorful and endearing ink illustrations, placed in a layered collage using a variety of textures and perspectives, are a delight. One minor quibble: one spread is so dark that the text is difficult to read. The cozy pictures are the book's highlight, and children will be attracted to them.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
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