Leaves by David Ezra Stein

Stein, David Ezra. Leaves. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2007.

Pirouetteing here, there, and everywhere a young bear enjoys his first year of life on his island home. Interested in everything he discovers; butterflys, flowers, and a field of blueberries, where he stands, arms aloft, his muzzle stained blue. "Everything was going well" for the little bear until "the first leaf fell." At first bemused, then concerned; he tries to reattach them to the trees, "but it was not the same." Defeated he can do nothing but watch the leaves fall. And then, winter approaching; he hibernates. Upon awakening in the spring he sees "the tiny leaves that had begun to unfold." The expressive little bear dances through Stein's simple bamboo pen and watercolor illustrations. His use of gold and green, brown and orange, white and ice blue, then gold and green again, allows us to witness the changing seasons with the curious bear. Toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy this sweet book about endings, beginnings, and the joy of discovery.