In a culture that prizes achievement, kids are often afraid to fail – failing to realize that some of the very ideas that don’t work are steps along the path to ones that will. Persistence and creativity can lead to amazing things, as Leif the leaf discovers in this lovely book.
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LEIF and the FALL
Allison Sweet Grant and Adam Grant – Authors
Merrilee Liddiard – Illustrator
Leif, an oak leaf, and he knows leaves fall in the fall. But still, he is afraid he’ll be hurt when it happens. “All leaves fall in the fall,” say the other leaves. But Leif is determined to find a different way down, and with his friend Laurel the two of them try out ideas to make the fall easier or even prevent it altogether. They use the resources around them to create a net out of twigs, a kite out of moss and a parachute hoping to soften his landing. But nothing works, and Leif tosses each attempt away, “feeling as if he has failed.” The clock is ticking, the wind is blowing. What will happen when a gust of wind pulls Leif from his branch?
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If your family enjoyed Leif and the Fall, I think you might also enjoy this gem of a book about LEAVES
David Ezra Stein – Author and Illustrator
It’s a young bear’s first autumn, and the falling leaves surprise him. He tries to put them back on the trees, but it doesn’t work. Eventually, he gets sleepy and burrows into the fallen leaves for a long nap. When he wakes up, it’s spring, and there are suddenly brand-new leaves all around, welcoming him.
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LEAF ACTIVITY
Your family can gather fallen leaves to trace or just cut leaves out of paper. Then create a glider!
Which leaf will work best? How can you fold or transform it?
1. Either draw or trace some leaf shapes on paper
2. Cut out your leaves and start experimenting with different folds to make your leaf fly! You can add paper clips or other weight like pennies.
3. Create multiple “leaf gliders” and discover what works best.
I wonder if Leif could have gathered himself up and flown like a glider safely to the ground. What do you think?
