Ended up finding this one at out local ibrary so thought I'd jump on and add a review. This picture book was so beautiful, the colours and illustrations were super engaging and my 5 year old liked the story.

The Very Last Leaf is beautifully illustrated and has a wonderful message of facing your fears. It’s perfect for autumn!

Very cute and fun fall read for the kiddos. Great illustrations. I will definitely grab this for my nieces.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the illustrations in this book. So bright and colorful and really makes you feel like it's fall. The story flows well and somewhat informative as well.

An adorable seasonal book that remains relevant throughout the year. A great addition to any Social/Emotional Learning collection

Lance Cottonwood is at the top of his class when the final task approaches. Lance finds himself afraid to fall from his tree with the other leaves. Such a unique take on facing your fears, with plenty of science/nature related vocab and facts woven in. This would be a great read aloud for young readers, even during a science unit on plants life cycles. Young readers may need help making the connection between Lance Cottonwood in school and themselves. Once the idea is grasped students can relate and learn from Lance facing his fears.

This is such an adorable fall themed book! I loved how the overall message was about not comparing yourself to anyone else. We are each unique and take our own time! This will be a great classroom read-aloud.

Oh look it's a leaf that is perfect at everything... but too afraid to do something. And then he does it and it's perfect too! What did we just teach the children reading/hearing this story?
Was it about how leaves fall off trees? Or perhaps about how being afraid can still mean you'll be perfect?

I feel like I missed something here. And the cute illustrations are just not enough to elevate The Very Last Leaf above its disappointing perfect student rhetoric. I mean maybe if your kid is that annoying top of the top student this is a good story. But that is not the majority of kids and so I don't really get why the leaf had to be sooo good at everything. Unless of course his fear was supposed to be a failure? If that is the case I'm not buying it. Fear is a natural emotion all people and kids feel. It's not a flaw or a failure. In fact fear can keep us safe in many instances. It's like the writer of this story read Twilight and felt that being clumsy was a personality flaw or failure so it meant they too could use something silly as an imperfection. A failure would be the leaf falling too far away from his buddies, or getting caught on a branch on his way down. Then we could talk about the truth that not everything goes as planned.

Yes, I get that this is probably supposed to be sending the message that it's okay to be afraid, and that everyone gets scared; but honestly why use a leaf and heights as the subject matter? A story about being fearful for a kid would be better represented with monsters, the dark, riding the bus, first day of school, etc.
Although I suppose if the book was supposed to be about falling down it has certainly fallen for me. An overall failure in execution and concept.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This one looked great but unfortunately I was not able to download it to read and review. I was really looking forward to sharing it with my little ones. Will look to purchase

A cute book to supplement on Fall. Young readers can identify with the fear of letting go. This would be a great review for kids who are learning about seasons.

Lance Cottonwood is a bright young leaf breezing through his lessons and into Autumn, but there's one thing that Lance isn't quite ready to jump into feet first; falling. While all of his treemates eagerly fall to the ground, Lance is left wondering how long he can hang on. Will Lance Cottonwood conquer his fears and jump?

This is a wonderful story about a leaf that is afraid to do exactly what he was meant to! Because of this, he goes from being the brightest leaf to the very last one on his cottonwood tree. He questions his purpose and needs extra encouragement from his teacher and peers, but eventually, he makes the leap!

The Very Last Leaf is gorgeously illustrated in lovely Autumn tones and is the perfect story for this time of year! There's also extra information about the tree terms used in this story (such as photosynthesis) at the back of the book so it also makes a great book for kids to learn about the tree lifecycle and the changing seasons!

Fall is my favorite season of the year. As the weather begins to cool down and the colors change, I look forward to so many yearly traditions. So The Very Last Leaf was a welcomed book to my monthly stack. Lance Cottonwood is a leaf, standing proud and determined while all the other leaves let go and fall to the ground. This one brave act is the final thing he must be graded on in leaf school. Everyone does it, it’s totally natural, but he’s not having it. There’s an internal emotional struggle before he finally gives in. And, of course, the bigger discussion here is the fear of death. Whether children will make that connection without discussion, I’m not sure. But there was a scattering of scientific vocabulary (photosynthesis, deciduous, etc.) in the story that would also lend this text as a companion read for the study of life cycles. My thanks to Netgalley and Capstone Editions for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Capstone and Net Galley, for providing me with an advanced copy of this picture book in exchange for an honest review.

Lance Cottonwood is the best leaf in his class. All of the other leaves admire him, and he aces all of his tests. However, when the final test of the season comes around, Lance has a secret; he’s scared of falling. He comes up with excuses for why he hasn’t fallen yet, but deep down, he’s determined to stay on the tree forever. After being encouraged to talk about his fears and reassured that there’s nothing wrong with being scared, Lance gains the courage to take the leap and fall to the ground with the rest of his graduating class.

My favourite thing about this book was all of the autumn colours. This picture book is perfect for this time of year, and I think that it sets the mood for the changing seasons. I also love that this book teaches kids the difference between evergreen and deciduous trees and the lifecycle of a leaf.

I like that this book teaches kids that it’s okay to be scared and that they’re allowed to talk about their fears. I loved that Mrs. Timber takes the time to listen to Lance’s concerns and helps him talk through his worries. I think that the message of it’s okay to be scared is an important one, and I enjoyed seeing it in this picture book.
I thought that the illustrations in this book were very cute, and I liked the details like the veins and expressions on each leaf. I also appreciated the puns and wordplay in this book, especially near the beginning.

Overall, I thought this book was very cute. The artwork put me in a seasonal mood, and I thought the lessons in this book were important.

The Very Last Leaf written by Stef Wade and illustrated by Jennifer Davison is a sweet, encouraging, and simple story with bright and adorable artwork. This easy read with a great message is perfect for young to early middle-grade readers.

Little Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest student on the tree. He excels in his classes on Budding, Pigment Changing, and Wind Resistance. However, even the most brilliant students have their fears. Will Lance be able to conquer his fear of falling and let go of the tree in time for his final exam?

This is a beautifully designed and cute tale! The simple storyline is easy-to-follow. Little Lance’s story is extremely relatable to both adult and child readers. Wade does a wonderful job of simply but clearly exploring common issues that kids encounter. The book confronts feelings of inadequacy, the fear of failure and the unknown, anxiety, and the desire to be perfect. These are heavy but familiar issues which Wade presents in an easy-to-read and fun way. Her approachable and child-friendly writing style deftly avoids being boring or preachy.

However, I would have liked more of Lance’s interactions with his teacher as well as his fellow classmates. I wish the narrative showed how the teacher dealt with the teasing Lance received from his classmates.

I like the educational tree facts that are seamlessly included in the story. I also love how well the typography changes to suit the narrative. Lance’s report card at the end is also a lovely touch!

Davison’s charming and detailed illustrations are just stunning! I would buy this book just for the gorgeous full-colour artwork alone! Each page beautifully features the rich and vibrant colours of fall. I also really like the characters’ adorable expressions. I especially love Lance’s cheerful little face—who knew a leaf could be so cute and expressive?

The Very Last Leaf is a wonderful fall read with an important and positive message. I can’t wait to see more lovely work from this author and illustrator!



🍂 🍂 🍂 🍂 out of 5 leaf piles!

This is a very nice story about Lance the leaf who is afraid of failing his final test - to allow himself to fall from the tree. He learns that it is okay to be afraid and how to overcome it. A nice lesson for children and I liked the illustrations.

If you are looking for a book that engages readers in natural history embedded in context of social and emotional skills, this is a great book. The story follows a single leaf, Lance, from the cottonwood tree. Lance is the brightest student in the class. He is the brightest leaf with the fastest photosynthesis. But, he is scared of only one thing- letting go. When fall season comes soon, how can Lance gather courage to let go and still be at the top of the class? Gentle story set in the #school context. Suitable for students who prefer fiction and read alternate texts.

I love the message that this story shares with children today, about how normal it is to experience fear and anxiety. We're all afraid of change no matter how old we are, and change is something we have to deal with our entire lives as we get older. I loved that Lance was encouraged by his friends and teacher, and eventually he faced his fear and 'let go'. I appreciate that it tried to showcase the missing out of experiences and adventures because of our fears, and I hope that it helps children realize that it's okay to 'let go' and take a chance on change!

I think this would be a great addition to a classroom, library, or personal collection for children and their parents.

The only thing that I would have liked to see was the teacher handle the teasing in a more active way, rather than passively. There could have been a further emphasis on the power of encouragement and support in this way!

Lance Cottonwood was good at a lot of things and that made it more challenging for him when he wasn't good at something. That scared him. In this story, Lance, a leaf, excels at many things, but does not want to fall when everyone else is doing it. He worries about it. Eventually, he learns that it is okay to fall, and with the help of his teacher, he is able to overcome the challenge and his fear.

There are some great illustrations, facts about leaves and their life cycle and in the endpapers a great fake report card that details Lance's progress.

A beautiful and bright book, this is sure to be a hit with kids and parents alike. I love how Stef Wade intermingled science into her story. The back matter is presented in an engaging and clever way. I think this is a book that all kids will be able to relate to. Jennifer Davison's illustrations are wonderful and whimsically captures the beauty of nature. I would highly recommend this book.

From his first day of school in the spring, Lance Cottonwood was the best and brightest student.

Lance was a leaf, he excelled in Budding, Wind Resistance, Photosynthesis and passed Pigment Changing with flying colors.

As the final test was coming up – one that all leaves eventually must do, he hesitated. All the other leaves were excited to leave the tree, but he hesitated, watching the other leaves fall to the ground. He wanted to be like his neighbor, Doug Fir, who was an evergreen. Lance was a Cottonwood, and so everyone expected him to fall like all those before him had fallen.

Then his teacher tells him that it’s okay to be afraid, and that she was there to help him, so he shares the things he’s worried about (like falling where a dog did his “business.”) And the students below cheer him on. And while he still wished he could be like Doug Fir, he knew he would never be.

There are wonderful messages in this, and the illustrations are charming and colourful, but I think this is best for very young children, who won’t be old enough to understand what happens to leaves when they … fall. The book doesn’t touch on that side of things, since the leaves that have fallen all are happily congratulating Lance once he joins them, which is where the story ends. Lance’s Progress Report follows the ending, with a gentler message:
Leaves fall from the trees in autumn to help prepare the tree for winter. followed by This was a challenge for Lance, but he did it. A note from his teacher follows, with a message of Lance’s having fears of what he doesn’t know – and how they discussed these fears until he had overcome them.

On one hand, I found this to be a lesson on overcoming your fears, that coming in last is okay, and doesn’t make you a failure. A wonderful, positive message. On the other hand, I am concerned about other allusions some children might take from this.


Pub Date: 1 Aug 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Capstone / Capstone Editions

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