Leaf Jumpers

By Carole Gerber

Illustrated by Leslie Evans

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2004

29 pages

Picture Book

 

                                    The upcoming fall season inspired me to read this book. It talks about a lot of different trees and what kinds of leaves are on them as well as the different colors they change to during autumn. The story includes a little girl and her brother and their dog looking at several trees and leaves and playing in big piles of leaves that have just fallen on the ground. This book captures the beauty of fall with all of its deep bright colors.

                                   The illustrations cover the whole page with text in different places on each one. The illustrator used linoleum block prints and watercolors on Arches paper. Leslie Evans used bright fall-ish colors including bright oranges, deep browns, electric yellows, rusty tans, and dark reds. Evans also  shaped each leaf making them look like they do in real life and is very careful about all the little details. She paints a beautiful picture of all that fall brings.

                                    This would be a good book to use during a science lesson on the different seasons or when talking about specific trees and the types of leaves on them. The teacher could get her class to make a chart categorizing leaves to their type of shape such as smooth edged, teeth like edges, hand shaped, and needles. The students could also color leaves the appropriate fall color that it turns. In my opinion you could have this book in any elementary class because it is a good educational book about specific leaves and the fall season.