Oak Leaf: A Picture Book

by John Sandford

An artistic picture book about an autumn leaf’s journey that beautifully evokes the season
 
A lone autumn leaf falls and flies away on a breeze. It travels up and over the world and down again—where it finally lands on the page of a little girl’s open book and becomes a keepsake.
 

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2019

About the author

John Sandford, illustrator of Moonstick, The Seasons of the Sioux by Eve Bunting, studied drawing, painting, and illustration at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, IL. He lives in Grand Haven, Michigan.
"I was born in Hannibal, Missouri, where we lived at the top of Hill Street in an old house that creaked with the adventures of five children and our parents. We later moved to Pontiac, Illinois, and filled a house with books, noise, crackpot ideas, and ill-tempered cats.
"I first heard stories at the family dinner table, but I was never quite clear about which were fact and which were fiction. I found more stories in the family library, some made vivid with illustration: N. C. Wyeth's robust Boy's King Arthur, Mead Schaeffer's painterly Three Musketeers, Maxfield Parrish's Arabian Nights, Robert Lawson's Rabbit Hill, and the curious drawings by Maud and Miska Petersham for The Rootabaga Stories."



There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you look at it once and say, "Okay. That's nice." But then you know you have to give it a second read. Then a third. First time to read the text. Second to look at the illustrious. Finally, the third time is when you read them both together.  A story about one leaf and the fantastic journey it takes to find a special home. Poetic prose and perfectly representing fall illustrations.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful!

[Morton Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical | Realistic illustrations | Books for quiet time (appeal terms from NoveList) - Emma

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, evocative illustrations following a floating oak leaf's journey captures the wonder of the fall season.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Striking are the illustrations that will catch anyone's attention. The cover is a big oak leaf floating through the air with the world upside down behind it. The images in the book are no different; colorful, impressionist like backgrounds from edge to edge depicting recognizable nature scenes to a spot in the city. Author illustrator Sandford makes the journey of a single oak leaf into a fascinating picture book. The reader follows it from the time it leaves its tree, going through a forest, along a freight train, flying past a farm, high above the clouds, ending in a city where it is caught by a white girl. She keeps the leave pressed in her book. The poetic text and use of simple descriptive words emphasizes the gentleness of this book.
This book can be used not only as a read aloud but also in lessons about fall, science, or as inspiration to art. It could even be used in a language arts class as a sample of the flow of a story following a simple object, which is why the recommendation goes up to 6th grade. A wonderful addition to any library.
The dust jacket is a completely different illustration than its cover.
Oral
Kindergarten through - 6th grade
R

[Christopher Reiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

An oak leaf, blown from its branch with autumn's arrival, is carried by the wind on an adventure.

Sandford's illustrations are first-rate. His pictures are at once classic (nostalgic, even) and contemporary. He confidently applies rich, chalky colors in a manner that occasionally calls to mind pointillism; this approach does wonders for conveying the play of light, and it pairs well with the (pleasantly) dizzying array of perspectives Sandford offers us as we follow the leaf's journey.

The story is light; it's a breezy (😉), episodic adventure.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, of course! Not only did Sanford create an exquisite journey for the eyes in the soft warm pallette of colors he used for the illustrations in this book, but the angles and various perspectives were intriguing. I also revelled in the figurative language & imagery used, from onomatopoeia to personification. I thoroughly enjoyed it & highly recommend it!

Teaching points: figurative language - onomatopoeia, personification, imagery, multi-meaning words, adjectives, perspective/visual point of view.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures fill every inch of every page allowing you to enter the landscape and be part of the journey. The words are sparse but so well chosen that you want to read and pause following the reading. The language is poetic and makes you want to read the words out loud even if you are reading the book to yourself. I would love to use this book as a mentor text for students and see what they get from it that they would like to repeat in their own writing. This book is a little treasure.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most amazing part of fall are the changes in the colors of the leaves. Collect them. Notice their colors and press them in book. Write down the date and where you were when you found each leaf. Let this season be a gentle reminder that the winds of change and the changing colors are all to be appreciated. A lovely book.

[Susan Fetterer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming change of pace this sweet picture book provided. A library reserving misstep led to a welcome seasonal respite in this hectic season. Beautiful illustrations coupled with poetic personifications of nature around us provided a wonderful beginning to this day.
You’re never too old for something uniquely childlike....

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follows an oak leaf as it gets caught up in an autumn wind and travels far from its tree.


This is beautifully illustrated. Could be used as a writing prompt when kids find autumn leaves. After reading where this leaf went, they can imagine where the leaf they found traveled from. A splendid fall read.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
Nature: Tree

An orange and yellow oak leaf blows away on a fall breeze, traveling from the countryside to the city, into the hands of a girl. Sandford provides amazing perspective throughout the book as the leaf spins and turns, prominently featured on the cover with an upside down city. 1-2 sentences per page make this perfect for the classroom.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the inside flap: "An oak leaf falls and leaves on an autumn breeze, traveling up and over the world, and down again into the pages of a little girl's open book, to become a beautiful keepsake of the season." A fairly standard children's book with decent pictures. Nothing really sets it apart, but it was alright.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has amazing illustrations. The wording is simple. It’s the journey a leaf takes from falling from its branch, being caught, and eventually pressed into a book. The story is told by the illustrations, not by the few words. This book is absolutely beautiful. I suspect it will be on a few people mock Caldecott lists.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lyrical story of a leaf fluttering on the autumn breeze until snatched up by a girl reading a book. This book travels to different autumn scenes in the country, in the city, and by the sea giving us a lovely journey and a lovely view along the way.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you finish reading this book, you will just sigh to yourself and think...what a nice little book. That leaf is the best thing ever! I think it is safe to say that the girl at the end of this story will one day be a librarian. ;)

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a perfect fall story.

[Megan Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very peaceful book!

[Peyton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations for this book. It is a sweet little story about the journey a leaf takes from the branches of a tree to the pages of a book. No complaints.

[Elizabeth]

I liked this one.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful! Gorgeous illustrations and lyrical text make this a wonderful read aloud.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, meditative perfection.

[Jarrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the finest illustrations in a jP book I’ve seen all year. Hop along on the wind and follow an oak leaf on their adventure!

[Kristen Thorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

347/365

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetic and beautifully illustrated, this book would be a good choice for a fall themed preschool storytime.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of an oak leaf once it falls off the tree.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Loved it!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The page with the flying cranes and the mother fox page were my favorites - stunning!!!

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunningly beautiful picture book. I just want to sit and drink it in...

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice!