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Leaf

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Why not try using a ‘double bubble map’ (Hyerle) to compare and contrast this story with ‘Journey’ by Francesca Sanna or ‘Beegu’ by Alexis Deacon? How are the stories similar? How are they different? What themes do they share in common? Which did you prefer and why? Put the names of the stories in the central two bubbles. In the circles that link to both central bubbles, note the similarities between the stories. The circles that link to only one central bubble are for you to record the differences between the stories. Play ‘Find my Voice’ by tapping a child’s shoulder to hear their character’s thoughts and feelings. On a given signal, bring your freezeframes to life, allowing children to move, speak and show what happens next. He fails, of course, but at last the others listen to his tale of separation, misery and loneliness.

Separate bonus document containing guided reading questions, for the teacher to discuss with the class during a read aloud or whole class guided reading. I genuinely can't stop thinking of the utterly vibrant illustrations in here. Like, I tried to close my eyes after reading and all I could see were the lively colors springing up in my mind over and over. Here's a handful of examples of said occurrence: 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? What a beautiful sequence of story and visuals as the other animals are deciding whether or not to care, whether or not to help. Why didn't the animals want to be friends with the bear when he arrived? Do people behave the same way, do you think? How can we make newcomers feel welcome?

Engage children with digital learning

Pool what you know about the Arctic, collecting questions on a large sheet of paper to act as a prompt for later research. How can you find answers to your questions? Introduce a selection of books and online resources that you can explore later to learn more. Talk about the ice covering the Arctic and Antarctic regions, and the icebergs floating in the sea. Collect words to describe ice and snow, and how it feels to be very cold. What animals and other creatures live in these icy regions? When a strange white bear comes ashore and takes up residence in the local cave, all of the woodland residents thereabouts are disturbed. Frightened of this solitary newcomer, at first they see only the danger he represents, and are blind to the distress he is clearly demonstrating, through his odd behavior. It falls to the crows, who had been advocating talking to the stranger, to bring the polar bear and the woodland residents together, leading to better understanding and compassion, when the latter discover that their ursine guest was transplanted unwillingly from his home, and is missing his family... Collect words to describe everything in this image: water, sky, feathers; flying, falling, splashing, swimming; how it feels to be a crow or bear. Set up whole-class wordbanks and use to tell stories about the bear falling in the water. Is it just me or are pictures books becoming more and more beautiful these days. I've noticed it with a lot of the books we have coming into the library, and now this book, Leaf, is absolutely, strikingly gorgeous. And not just the illustrations but the story and message, too.

Double spread 4 – Why do the animals name the bear Leaf? Can you think of another name for the bear? Why might the seagull think the polar bear is a ghost? What sort of voice might the badger have? Write a letter from the polar bear, persuading the other animals to let him stay. Look at the illustration – is there anything amusing or unusual occurring? 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. When a polar bear washes up on the edge of the wild wood, the other animals fear and avoid him. Then one day, they watch as he attempts something incredible… 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. What shape is the globe? Why? Where are the oceans, and where is the land? Where do you live? Can you name the continents? The oceans? What’s at the northern tip of our world, and who lives there?Double spread 1 – Who can crow see? What might crow be thinking when he sees the polar bear? Why do you think the crow refers to the polar bear as a ‘strange white creature’? How might the polar bear be feeling? Why is he there? Where has he come from? Is the time of day significant? How does it affect the mood and atmosphere? Double spread 3 – What does the verb ‘stomping’ suggest about how the bear is feeling? Why are the animals scared? Why do you think the bear might be collecting leaves? Find two adjectives that describe the leaves. The word ‘flee’ is closest in meaning to….? Are the animals wrong to flee from the bear? You know a book has you hooked when your heart is in your throat and you are really, really hoping it doesn't have a sad ending. At its heart Leaf has a number of simple but key messages to draw out - reaching out to outsiders, loneliness, and protecting the environment. Leaf collects leaves to make wings so that he can fly home to his family from whom he was separated because of the melting ice. And that's all it says. There is no lecturing or overt nagging, just a simple message conveyed through the eyes of a lonely polar bear. It provokes key discussion and questions about why the ice has melted, how Leaf might have become separated from his family, what the animals did to help, and what else could be done to help. Featuring a variety of reading and whole story activities, word-level activities, and text writing activities, as detailed below:

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: Leaf is created using an array of mixed media. I worked in pencil, pen, watercolour and gouache as well as ink. After I paint and draw all my elements the spreads were composed in Photoshop and cleaned up there. I really enjoy working in this collage way as it allows my maximum freedom and it's easy to make changes to colour and composition any time. 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?

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?

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