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Books for Kids

 

Josh and I like reading "Leaves," by David Ezra Stein. (Marc likes it, too.)

This was one of DES's early books, and it made waves. It won an Ezra Jack Keats Award (more on EJK soon), and it was named, by Tomie dePaola, "the best picture book in years."

It's simple. A bear, new to the world, has fun in the late summer. But he sees a falling leaf. He doesn't understand. He asks the leaf, "Are you OK?"
 
More leaves fall. Bereft, the bear grows sleepy, and he spots a hole for hibernating. When he awakes in the spring, he sees new leaves and welcomes them. "And he thought the leaves welcomed him, too."

I think it's right that this book won the Ezra Jack Keats Award because--like "The Snowy Day"--this book centers on a young being with gaps in his knowledge. ("Save a snowball by storing it in your pocket." "A falling leaf is a leaf in trouble.") I also like the way that joy is dramatized at the end: The bear swings from two branches, and he decides that he is actually in a dialogue with the "happy" leaves. This seems like a true portrait of childhood.

Five stars!



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