ECONOGAL

Leaf Man written and illustrated by the late Lois Ehlert was first released in 2005. The iconic author includes an explanation of how she collected leaves from across the country to use in her illustrations in her Author’s Note. This children’s book has a simple story for showcasing the wonders of the Fall Season.

Two artistic effects make Leaf Man stand apart. First, leaves and other pieces of nature create the illustrations. Lois Ehlert combines various leaves, acorns, seed pods and even gumballs from the Sweetgum tree to create Leaf Man, turtles, chickens and turkeys among other creatures identified in the text.

The second special effect is the shape of the pages. The upper edges are unique and create patterns of mountains overall, while picturing prairies, lakes and streams on individual pages. The technique produces a stunning effect.

Leaf Man is geared toward the pre-school to early grade school crowd. Yet, the page shapes make the book stand out. Thus, it is best suited once children learn to turn the pages carefully. Or for an adult to read to a group of children at an arm-length.

The story explores the travel of a leaf that has blown away in the wind. As Leaf Man travels across the countryside, he passes farm animals as well as wildlife. Each page depicts the animals from a collage of leaves. Children love to spot the shapes illustrated by the leaves.

This classic is still available for purchase from both Barnes & Noble and Amazon. It is very likely available in your nearest bricks and mortar bookstore. I checked out a copy from my local library. It was a recent gift from the local Rotary Club. I missed the release due to my youngest being almost double digits when published. Kindergarteners should be able to identify sight words. First and second graders will enjoy sounding out the words with occasional help with a few words of advanced vocabulary. All kids will enjoy spotting the creatures shaped from leaves.

Many of my favorite children’s books were written by Lois Ehlert. Leaf Man is now a member of that group. If you have not read this book, find a copy. Better yet, buy a copy.