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.

This would be great book to use at the start of the school year or anytime during autumn. It briefly has some factual statements about leaves but it is mostly about perseverance and learning to try something even when it’s scary.

The Very Last Leaf was a cute way to teach about the seasons change. My daughter picked up on the word play using Autum and the Fall, she enjoyed that. Where we're from we would say fall instead of autum. Also the lesson of overcoming your fears. Things may seem scary but if you don't try new things, step out of your comfort zone you will miss out on some great experiences. It was a pretty good book overall.

The Very Last Leaf is such a sweet picture book about facing your fears. It also have some really beautiful illustrations.

Stef Wade writes a charming story about Lance the leaf and his journey throughout the year. Lance is good at everything. From swaying in the wind to changing colors, he is at the top of his class. But when the time comes to leave the branch, Lance is scared. Lance’s teacher encourages him and he finally faces his fears and take off. This would be a great book to discuss anxiety and fears with students, Wade’s story classily covers these issue and would be great for children to hear.

The VeryLast Leaf by Stef Wade is a beautifully illustrated children's book about how even the best students sometimes aren't perfect and may need a little help and encouragement. Lance Cottonwood comes from a long line of the very best leaves. He has aced all of his tests but when it comes to facing the very last one, he is scared: Will he be able to face his fears or will be the first of his family to not make the jump? This book addresses the fact that even the most perfect seeming people may need help every once in a while in a playful way that is accompanied by illustrations in beautiful colors.

Adorable story that incorporates science terms that help make connections to previous science lessons. It can also be used to give courage to those facing the big "state" exam. Great resource for elementary science teachers.

I'm always on the lookout for books for kids that will help them understand their emotions and process through them. This book does a great job of walking readers through the emotions that are connected to fear, which is a hard concept for some children to verbalize. It incorporates science by talking about how leaves change in the fall, and I appreciated some of the science-related humor.

Overall between the illustrations and the gentle way the author incorporated some tough subjects, I thought that it was very well done.

[I received an advanced digital copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.]

I read this story with my 7 and 10 year old sons. My 10 year old especially loved it. He's an anxious child by nature so he really connected with the message in the book. It's a heartfelt but still lighthearted read that both my boys enjoyed. It's the kind of book I would recommend to teacher friends to share with their students. A really positive message

The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade, 32 pages. PICTURE BOOK
Capstone Editions, 2020. $18.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Lance is a leaf, and he’s a really good one. Except for the falling part. Is falling really necessary?
Lance’s story is about facing our fears. Everyone -- even leaves -- have something scary to overcome. Wade personifies leaves to help readers see that scary obstacles can be overcome and might not even be that bad. And Wade does it with a talented illustrator.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

What I Loved: The premise of helping children deal with a fear and being able to take that next step to overcome it.

How I Felt: I liked the story and I liked the illustrations. The writing was a bit off at times, but overall, just fine. I did not understand why a leaf was chosen for this book. When a leaf falls of a tree, it dies, so having the encouraging story with the teacher encouraging the leaf to jump just did not sit well for me. Overall, I don't know that a child will connect those dots, so it might not be a big deal, but it was an odd choice.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This is a bright and color book about death.

That's all I can figure out here. It is how leaves leave the tree in the fall, because they are deciduous, and that's what happens, and the tree, his teacher, keeps telling Lance to, well, jump, jump, jump.

I mean, I know leaves fall. That is not the point. But in this book, the leaves are a "class" and the tree is the "teacher". And the "teacher" wants the leaves to die, and fall off her.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/the-very-last-leaf.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5592" />

If this isn't a book about death and dying, I'm not sure what it is. It almost made me cry.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book avialbe for an honest review.