Leaf

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Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught in life.” Friedrich Schiller Unexpected plot development, character development, a moral that all humans would do well to learn from. And all of this not just beautifully illustrated but told with such delicacy. Carefully-handled drama activities can be an effective way to develop thinking around such issues, as well as helping children improve their speaking, listening and other language skills.

But every child is different, so feel free to adapt our activities to suit their interests and abilities! Set in the wild wood, the animals who call this rugged land their home are surprised and a little wary when a new animal arrives. He is big, white, and has lots of teeth. But stranger still is his habit of collecting leaves. So they name him Leaf. But as the animals watch Leaf they finally become brave enough to ask him his story. When a polar bear arrives unexpectedly in the woods, the animals fear and avoid him, suspecting him to be dangerous - and his habit of collecting leaves only adds to their distrust. Then one day, they watch as he attempts to fly over the water with wings made of colorful leaves...just trying to go home.This unit is perfect if you are looking to study books which have more acceptance, tolerance and inclusion as their theme. Will the animals learn not to ‘judge a book by its cover’? 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.

Girls Who Draw Masquerade exhibition :: Leeds, Sep/Nov 2013Mythical Creatures :: Here Gallery, Bristol UK, Feb 2013 He fails, of course, but at last the others listen to his tale of separation, misery and loneliness. Double spread 12 – How are the crows helping Leaf? Imagine you are Leaf, saying goodbye to all the animals – what might you say? Do you think Leaf has forgiven the animals for being so mean to him? What do you think the moral is this story is? Does this story remind you of anything? Is this story a fairytale? Do you think Leaf will be reunited with his family? Why do you think the author created this book?

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. 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? 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? 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?

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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. 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. 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.

Double spread 10 – Can you explain the phrase ‘the sea spat him out’? What impression does this give you of the sea? How do the colours used reflect the nature of the sea? Would the illustration have been as impactful if the sea colour was a light, sparkling blue? Find one adjective used to describe the crows. How would the story have changed if the crows had spoken to him at the beginning, when he arrived? What might the polar bear be thinking and feeling? Ask children to use their voices to explore sounds that could be made by water, wind and birds, then choose their favourite to add to a communal soundscape. Conduct your orchestra, using signals to raise and lower the volume. Talk about what you’ve done and how it felt to take part. What can the bear hear in this picture, do you think? Look closely at the plants on the book cover - use magnifiers! – and talk about the shapes and colours you can see

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Use the globe to show children where the northern forests are. Describe the trees and animals that live there. How did the bear come to be in this forest, do you think? Discuss your ideas and the questions you might want to ask this bear. The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.