Leaf

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Write a diary entry, imagining you are Leaf. Can you retell how you were split up from your family? How did you feel when you arrived at the wild woods? One look at the stunning endpaper with the bookplate -- "This book belongs to:" and I'm impressed. Germany has such a tradition of brilliant illustrations, and I've never seen this before in a children's storybook. Seems like my eyes and mind and heart will be in good hands. The crows saw him first, drifting toward the shore one moonlit night on a raft of rapidly melting ice. He took shelter in the old empty cave that the other animals steered clear of, and the whispers started soon after. He looked so different from the other animals, and even from the lush and colorful land around them, this great white bear. And he acted so strangely, wandering the forest every day and collecting leaves. The other animals called him Leaf, not because of his odd habit, because they wanted him to LEAVE. Too loud, too different – the other animals were so sure he didn’t belong, and felt threatened by his presence. But as the crows argue for compassion, Leaf does something entirely unexpected that just may encourage the animals to consider changing their point of view. Girls Who Draw Masquerade exhibition :: Leeds, Sep/Nov 2013Mythical Creatures :: Here Gallery, Bristol UK, Feb 2013

Read the story of Icarus and Daedalus, the inventor and architect who used bird feathers to create wings so he could escape from King Minos’s prison. Explore the themes, characters and storyline. Write a non-chronological report about a polar bear. Can you include reference to its appearance, habitat, diet and adaptations? Double spread 2 – Where does the polar bear set up his home? Which word or phrase tells you that the animals were wary of the bear? Look at the illustration – what do you notice about the size of the polar bear? What animals can you see in the picture? How do the colours used to depict the bear’s cave compare to the colours used for the animals and foliage? Discuss what you can see in the picture and the questions it raises. What can Leaf see, hear, feel, smell and taste as he falls into the water?I love the subtle important lessons expressed in this book such as xenophobia and climate change, issues I as a parent want my children to care about… Leaf is a treat in any collection and one I’m glad to have in our home.” Fill a large bowl with water. Look closely at the surface. How does it move when you blow on it? Agitate the water to make little waves. How do they move? Make small splashes and notice how the water behaves. What does it sound like? Recreate using your voice and/or percussion instruments. Separate bonus document containing guided reading questions, for the teacher to discuss with the class during a read aloud or whole class guided reading.

One day, a polar bear washes up on the edge of the wild wood. Never seen such an animal, all the other animals of the wild wood run away from him. Eventually, the animals named the polar bear Leaf, because they want him to leave.Her first book as author and illustrator LEAF was published by Flying Eye Books in June 2017. In 2018 it was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal, long listed for the Klaus Flugge Prize and short listed for the Waterstones Children's book prize. Her next picture book is expected to be out in the summer of 2018. Find out as much as you can about polar bears (and other animals living in the Arctic.)Why is the ice important to polar bears? What happens if the ice breaks up, or melts? Should we be worried about polar bers and their environment? Who is trying to help? Can we do anything? This tale of acceptance gently highlighting the plight of polar bears in today's changing climate had me enraptured from start to finish. Wear your wings. How does it feel? Take plenty of photos! Write descriptions of your wings and instructions on how to make them. What does this mean? How might this quote link in with the story? Can fairy tales tell us anything about real life? Is everything you are taught true? Have you ever learnt anything from a fairy tale?

Sandra is represented internationally by Millie Van Grutten at the Caroline Sheldon Literary agency in London, UK. There's a stranger in the forest and everyone is worried. Can empathy and insight overcome difference and prejudice? Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught in life.” Friedrich Schiller Try to write your own cinquain poem based on this book. A cinquain is a non-rhyming poem with five lines. Each line has a set number of syllables:

Eventually, the other animals of the wildwood learn that Leaf just wants to go home. An icy place which is melting, which is how he ended up drifting so far away and ending up in the wild wood. Invite children to explore what happens when ice cubes float in water. How long does it take the icecubes to melt? Why doesn't Leaf's iceberg melt on its way to the forest, do you think? He fails, of course, but at last the others listen to his tale of separation, misery and loneliness. Washed in by the tide, a polar bear arrives on the shores of a northern forest and settles in an abandoned cave.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own. Double spread 9 – How has the illustrator shown the movement of the water? What do you think has happened to the bear? Why do you think he has jumped from the cliff? Explain what the crows are thinking and feeling. Can you summarise what has happened in the story up to this point?Leaf spends his days, alone in his dark cave. The animals are afraid of him and run away when they see him, they don’t talk to him but they talk about him.