Autumn Leaves

by Ken Robbins

A concise text and crisp, close-up, color photographs of thirteen different leaves from North American trees teach very young children how to look at and compare the leaves of autumn, and are accompanied by an explanation of why they turn color.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Childrens

39 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Adelle Polhemus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades: 2-3
Nonfiction
I thought that this book was very interesting and it can be very helpful to students learning about leaves. I also like that it is a book that can very easily tie into fall art projects. I would recommend using this for some kind of art project in your classroom.

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fabulous non-animated book! We didn’t read every word to my three-year-old, but she loves flipping through to see the pictures and identify the different leaves/trees.

[Elizabeth Lancaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a closer look at one of the characteristics of Autumn. The author describes the different leaves that can be seen during this season using pictures. He then shows and describes specific leaves and the trees that they come from. At the end of the book, the author explains some of the science about leaves and how they change colors.

This book had very beautiful pictures. It would be a great book to use in the classroom but I don't think it was interesting enough to spend my free time reading it.

I would definitely read this book to my students at the beginning of fall to start off the season. It would also be a great introduction or review of photosynthesis in class.

[April]

Notes: Not the best in its class, but one I'd check out again from the library. The text is almost like you're taking a walk with someone who knows a lot about trees--just pointing out random facts about each kind. On a bad day I would probably call this book a bit inconsistent but I didn't really mind the style.

[Megan Hosinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Informational Nonfiction
Grade Level: K-3
This book has a lot of great information about leaves and trees. I like how there are a lot of great pictures to go along with each of the leaves and trees mentioned throughout the book. I also like that there are a lot of fun facts about the leaves, such as the fact that Gingko leaves were eaten by dinosaurs. This book also talks about photosynthesis, and why the leaves change different colors, and I think this is something that is enjoyable for children to learn about. Great book!

[D. Dorka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tiny book is great for learning the shapes of the leaves of a handful of trees. There is really no more information to these trees, but I loved the pictures as illustrations. I'm a town-girl, so I found it educational myself. The last page goes a bit deep into photosynthesis and chlorofyll which was surprising at first, but in the end I found that paragraph child-compatible and a nice description of the life-cycle of leaves.

[Kelsey Boeger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I thought this book was a good educational book about how leaves look, different trees, and the role that leaves have with trees. This book would be good for a unit on leaves or for a student who is very interested in learning about them. The pictures are real and match exactly what is written in the book. It is very comprehensive and entails exact detail.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent, beautiful little book for learning different types of leaves from different trees and explaining why and how they change colors and fall. One warning - one of the pages talks about of the trees being "around during prehistoric times with the dinosaurs" in an old earth, secular, evolutionist sort of way. I skipped that part and we enjoyed the book.

[Jessica Wilker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Informational Nonfiction
Reading Level: K-2

This is a great Informational book. I love how this book includes the many leaves and the names of the tree that the leaves are from. That is wonderful for children to see. It gives children the opportunity to see a leaf later and state what tree it is from. I also love the detail on the leaves. It caused me to look at them very closely and almost study them. I believe that kids will also do that, So because of the abundance of information, the easy possible application of leaves, and the intense details included in the pictures, I loved this book and recommend it!!

[DaShannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this back in 2006 but didn't have it on my list of books read so reread and time to review! This is a beautiful book to pull out each autumn and review the types of leaves and how they morph in the fall.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (I liked it)

I was interesting enough. I liked that actual photographs are used. The description says this book is for preschoolers and I just think the text is way too much for that age level.

[Little Owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book about autumn leaves. Simple photos of different types of leaves - good for kids to learn to tell trees apart. And goes into the why behind the color changes that you see in the fall.

[Teresa Alpizar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction/Informational
2nd-3rd grade
This book is very helpful and insightful for students to learn about leaves. There are many great examples of what leaves look like and what trees they come from. This book would be great to incorporate during the fall time or during a season/nature lesson.

[Isabelle Wrobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational Nonfiction
Grade Level: K-1
A great informational book for children! It can be used to teach about autumn and the make up of leaves in a classroom setting, or children can read it on their own.

[Eliot Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

In depth examination and comparison (with photographs!) of 13 different types of trees/leaves.

[The Campbell Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning photographs with concise text. This was a great addition to our Trees badge for Frontier Girls.

[Conquering · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book to add to any Montessori library.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book to teach about various trees and how to identify them by their leaves. I can feel so clueless sometimes with identifying trees outside of oak, sycamore, etc. This might be a good book to supplement a science curriculum. 🍁 🍃

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I learned from this book that there are some leaves that turn purple in the fall. My favorite leaf was the Linden leaf. It looks a little like a heart!"

[Reanna Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade pre k-2nd genre non fiction
This book is great to read before and art lesson or for science class. It gives great explanations of different leaves and colors or the leaves. I enjoyed this book

[Gus Pogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational Nonfiction
Early Primary (K-1)
This does a great job of introducing different leaves and the concept of fall to students and can be used well during any lesson about fall and leaves to great effect.

[Ryan Koontz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Informational Nonfiction
Reading Level: Early Primary
Seeing the different leaves change colors in the fall is always beautiful, but why does it happen? Autumn leaves helps to explain why we get to see this gorgeous metamorphosis every year.

[Crissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autumn Leaves is a non-fiction book for children aged 2 and up. It features photographs of the leaves from over 20 types of trees and uses describing words to help early learners begin to identify a tree by its leaves. The descriptions are short and basic, with enough rich language to hold the attention of young readers. It is full of vibrant photos of trees and their leaves throughout the autumn months. A rather special surprise in the book is that the individual leaves pictured and labelled are shown at life size. Many of them are pictured multiple times so as to show potentially different shapes and colors as well as a rotated perspective. There is a brief introduction to the fact that leaves change color from green to any number of other shades in the fall, but there is no mention of how or why. Given that this is appropriate for 2 year olds, that detail may be a bit extraneous, but an inquisitive older reader may wonder why it is that the leaves change color. This minor omission aside, the author does provide a number of fun facts about the trees and leaves, as well as little details that will help when it comes to remembering the trees’ names. One example of such a fun fact is that the gingko tree was around during pre-historic times and provided food for dinosaurs. Many of the leaves are also compared to shapes that a child in preschool would be able to identify (stars, hearts, etc). It is a great book and would be a great non-fiction addition to any classroom library.

[Jessica Tonkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informational, Grade Level 2-3
This was a very informative book that listed many different leaves. The colors were very pretty and it had a lot of good information in it. This would be a great book to use when teaching about Autumn while working through a seasons unit. I think kids might want to take this book with them while they look for leaves with the same shapes, and could then try identifying the leaves they found.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a fun sing song verse, the author takes you through the different textures and shapes that leaves come in. "Leaves are different on each different tree. Look at them carefully and see what you see..." He then moves on to specific trees, giving fun facts that will stick in a child's mind. Squishy's favorite part of the book, though, comes at the end. After all that leaf collecting and examining that has happened, Ken Robbins tells us the answers to the "why" questions that are sure to pop up. Why is a leaf green? Why do they change colors and fall to the ground? Where do all the other colors come from? Okay, that wasn't a "why", but I am sure you will be asked it anyway. The good news is, the answers are in the book. Its written in such a way that even the scientific process of Photosynthesis is fun and memorable.

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[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of Robbins' books have amazing photographs. In Autumn Leaves, children can see up close the different shapes and colors leaves have as they fall from the trees. He shows the leaves both on and off the tree for thirteen different types of trees, explaining how each is unique. Finally, he discusses the process by which plants stop photosynthesis, the leaves change color, the stems grow brittle, and fall off the trees. He begins by saying, "Autumn is a time to look closely at leaves," and his book encourages children to go outside and look.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My niece and I had a great time reading this book, and learning about various types of leaves from various trees. The photos in this book are very beautiful, the text is interesting and digestable, and it sparked my niece's curiosity about her world. She hopped out of the car (we read this while waiting for her Mom), picked up some leaves off the ground, then used this book to try to identify them. Thanks to my real life and Goodreads friend Pam for finding this one for us!

[Ashley Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction book is really cool because it shows a lot of different leaves and their actual sizes on the pages of this book. So the pictures are gorgeous, and it's interesting to see leaves that aren't seen in every region.

This book is really simple, and pretty. However, it would only be age appropriate for kids under 6, in my opinion.

I would only use this in my classroom if I was doing a unit over seasons, or maybe different ecosystems. Otherwise, this would just be a pretty book to share.

[Nikki Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins is a wonderfully illustrated book for kindergarteners. The book has pictures of several different trees and their different leaves. This book got a 4 out of 5 because it is a great teaching tool for younger children. This book offers a great introduction into fall and allows children to explore the wonders on leaves and their colors. The theme in this book is obviously scientific.

[Cheyenne]

I love fall and I think it important to read stories that correlate with the seasons. This books is filled with beautiful pictures and teaches students about the different leaves form a tree. It would be fun to go on a nature walk and find leaves to look at and examine.