Leaf Trouble

by Jonathan Emmett

As the leaves on the trees go from green to red and gold, two curious squirrels embrace the change of seasons!

When he wakes up one morning to find that his home tree is changing, the little squirrel is scared! Why are all the leaves falling off?
Quickly he corrals his sister and they gather up the leaves in colorful pawfuls. But try as they may to stick them back on the branches, it's Yellow, orange, red, and brown, all the leaves keep falling down!
It's only when their wise mama explains what happens in autumn that the two little squirrels understand the seasons are changing. Green leaves will sprout anew in spring!

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Jonathan Emmett was born in Leicestershire in 1965, the son of a factory fitter and a primary school teacher.

Jonathan loved books from an early age and some of his earliest memories are of visiting his local library. The picture books that he borrowed then, including Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss and Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson have had a great influence on the picture books that he now writes.

It was while Jonathan was at college, studying architecture, that he first started developing his own illustrated texts, illustrating poems and lyrics that he’d written. Pleased with the results, he found himself spending more and more time on writing and illustration. Although he qualified as an architect, he found the job unsatisfying and began pursuing a career in children's books in his spare time, eventually going full-time in 1995, a few months before his thirtieth birthday.

As well as writing picture books such as Bringing Down the Moon, Someone Bigger, Pigs Might Fly and Ruby Flew Too, Jonathan also writes and paper-engineers pop-up books. His books have won several awards including the Red House Children’s Book Award “Book for Younger Children” for Pigs Might Fly and the Kiekeboekprijs for Bringing Down the Moon.

He now lives in Nottingham with his wife, Rachel, and children, Max and Laura.

You can visit Jonathan’s website atjonathanemmett.com

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS This story is cute enough, and gently presents a subject troubling for many children; that of change, of letting go of things, and learning to embrace something new. When the young squirrel encounters his first autumn, he is alarmed that his favorite tree is losing all its beautiful leaves and he worries until his mother explains to him that the tree needs time to rest because leaves are hard to maintain, and that the leaves will come again. It is likened to sunrise/sunset. The ending is really nice!

I would have probably given this four stars except that it is so similar to Fletcher and the Falling Leaves which is, I feel, the superior book. I love Fletcher so much that this book, perhaps unfairly, pales in comparison.

[Yuliana Gallardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was about autumn and two little squirrels Pip and Blossom wonder why the leafs are falling.I loved the book I would like to read it to my little sibling if I had one. I recommend it to everyone because for me it was good that if there was a chapter book of that story I would like to read it because it had specific details.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to Fletcher and the Falling Leaves I like this much more, and not only because the mom actually explains what is happening, and what will happen in the spring. It's more fun, imo. I prefer the humorous art, and the lighter, less sentimental tone. And I think real children will like Pip more than Fletcher, too. I'd love to see the reactions of children who read both.

[Sindy Castellanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuento que con ternura y lindas ilustraciones, ayuda a los niños a comprender los ciclos de las estaciones y sus características.
_______
Tender story with beautiful illustrations that helps children understand the seasons and their characteristics.

[Charlotte Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Leaf Trouble’ is about a little squirrel and his family who live in a tree, although one day things start to change. The little squirrel starts to see the leaves on his tree changing colour fall off. In a panic he and friend decide to collect the leaves and stick them back on to the tree, but they keep falling off. The little squirrel is very upset, as he thinks he is loosing his home. At this point mum squirrel arrives to explain the misconception. That autumn had arrived and that is was natural for the tree to loos its leaves, as they would row back again in the spring and there was no need to worry or panic.
I like this book especially as it seems to have two learning points. The first, and more obviously about autumn and the process that occurs at that time of the year, which children will be able to see and experience for themselves. The second and more subtle is about change, not necessarily seeing it as a scary thing that needs to be controlled and manipulated, but that change can be a good thing in our lives. Children all go through lots of changes that they may not be aware of what has happened. This book may be able to give some reassurance to these feelings about change.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 Stars This is a super fun book with very nice artwork! The squirrel is worried that the trees is falling apart because the leaves are falling down. He tries to put them back up.

Cute premises, nice pictures (has a really nice 3d effect) Loved it!

[Diego Herrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think leaf trouble is a good book because it re minded me of when i was little and how short i used to read this book in kinder garden i had a buddy that would read to me and he read me this book i reccomend this book to cris

[Naomi Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about a family of squirrels and how they were starting to observe that the tree was starting to change colors and that the leaves were starting to fall off the tree. Pip was the main character of the book and he was the first to notice that there was something up with the tree. When Pip noticed that the leaves kept falling, he tried to pick them all up slowly but he was very unsuccessful with the task because the leaves kept falling. He was greatly disturbed, his mom came to explain what was happening, and he finally understood.
I really enjoyed this book because it tells a story of a squirrel family and how the seasons change overtime. Fall is a beautiful time of year, and this book beautifully describes that phenomenon and how the seasons change throughout the year. When I was a little kid, it was to hard understand fall and the seasons changing, but eventually understood.
This book will be very useful to use when I am teaching my kids about the different seasons and how they change. The kids will love this fun book about squirrels and it can help them learn different aspects about seasons, family, weather, and how everything regrow in the springtime. I can’t wait to integrate this book into a lesson about weather in the future.

[Noah Rachal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story involves a squirrel named Pip who is realizing the changes of season from Summer to Fall. Pip has no idea what is going on when the leaves fall from their trees, him and his sister, Blossom, try to catch literally every leaf that falls from the tree, both thinking that there must be something wrong. The mother of the two squirrels comes out and wonders what they are doing. Pip explains what they are doing and the mother laughs. She explains to them the process of the changing of seasons and that everything is temporary for now. She explains to them that the leaves will grow back. This book can be educational to young children learning about the changes in seasons. I like how the story uses an animal such as a squirrel that is habitual to the trees and outdoors. They would be the type of animal to notice this difference and have a concern.

[Hannah Lightning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful picture book written by Jonathan Emmett. I particularly love the way he writes about subjects that can easily be implemented into learning for young children. For example, this story is about the changing seasons. A young squirrel named Pip, is worried about his home tree, as all the leaves are falling off and changing colour! Opportunity to see if the children can describe what is happening and what season is coming. Pip's sister Blossom and mother help Pip understand that the green leaves will return soon. The beautiful illustrations provide models for the children to create their own masterpieces. Could link with local nature walks throughout the year and talk about what is happening to Pip's tree now etc.

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pip is a young squirrel experiencing autumn for the first time. He is upset because his favorite tree is dropping all it's leaves, so he quickly gathers them with the help of his sister and tries to put them back on the treek. But their mom comes and explains about trees and the seasons.

I loved the illustrations with all the colors of autumn - brown, yellow, red, and orange. There are a few pages that have a dark green background that makes it hard to read the text. And the ending is a little abrupt, but overall good book.

[Kaylee Mouser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about squirrels. Fall is approaching and Pip notices something strange. The leaves are falling off the tree. Pip and Blossom start to scramble all of the leaves and put them back on the tree, but it doesn't work. The mother see’s what they were doing and explains to them that the tree needed to rest and that it took hard work to care for those leaves. The illustrations are amazing, the colors used in this story just remind me of the fall. They are very bright and vivid. I also love the emotions in the pictures, you can just see the concerns on the squirrel's face.

[Celia Buell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pip the squirrel knows his home tree "from twig to trunk." But something's changing, and he doesn't like it. The leaves that used to be green are now yellow and orange and red, and they keep falling off the trees. Pip and his sister Blossom have to "save the tree" before all the leaves fall off... or do they?

I like both the way this book approaches change and the way it deals with the science content. Both change and the science behind seasons can be hard for young students to grasp, so I appreciate the tie-in to the sunset here, because that's a change that acts in a similar way, but that young children are more used to.

I think this book would be great for a preschool or early grade audience to look at the science of autumn changes in a way that meets science standards but doesn't overexplain anything that kids would have a hard time with.

I'd definitely love to have a copy of this one.

[Mary-Grace Karkau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaf Trouble is about the changing leaves and the confusion of two squirrels because of all the leaves falling.

This book was a really cute way to fictionalize how leaves fall in the autumn and come back in the spring.

I would read this book aloud to my class probably in October so they can get a small grasp on how the leaves change throughout the seasons. Then I would further explain how it works so they can understand.

[Elda Hyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book to use when the season change is happening! Sam the little squirrel realizes that leaves are falling off of his favorite tree and he has no idea why. Soon his sister helps him realize that this is what happens when the seasons change and he begins to embrace it! This story has great description and would be an awesome story to introduce season to grades K through 2.

[Dannaca · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this for our autumn leaf story time. Pip the squirrel is confused and upset when all the beautiful green leaves on his forest home begin changing color and falling to the ground! He enlists his sister, Blossom to help put them back and they try until Mama Squirrel shows up to explain that change is necessary and beautiful. This is a cute story!

[Rebecca Tuggle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to teach your students about Autumn and the leaves falling. It is a cute story about a squirrel trying to reattach the leaves to the trees until the mom tells him that it is normal that they fall. This would be a book I would use to start off the fall season.

[Natalie Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar dilemma to most fall books for kids. The leaves start falling and the squirrels think something is wrong with their home. They learn that the trees need a break. Sweet ending comparing the leaves to a beautiful sunst

[Sarah Westgate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Fiction
This book is great for Kindergarten and up. One unique feature of this book is it discusses the many different colors of fall leaves.

[Kristen Dutkiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice one for Autumn!

[DiAnne Warfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

PJ story time 9-25-19

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squirrel has never seen leaves change colors. He's not sure how he feels about the change but finds that it might be okay after all.

[Miss Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squirrel has never seen leaves change colors. He's not sure how he feels about the change but finds that it might be okay after all.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book about the leaves changing colors in the fall.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pip enjoys his first Fall in an oak tree.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story to start our fall reading with.

[JWPreK · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Pre-K class enjoyed this book. It is a good book to introduce the fall season and our leaf unit. The squirrel is a fun, relatable character and the illustrations are perfectly 'fall'

[RL White · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read aloud. Where are the leaves going? Who is taking them? This is a nice addition to a unit on fall and the changes in the natural world.

[Marianne Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book to read to young children to introduce them to the season of Fall.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pip Squirrel is going about his day when he notices the leaves on the tree are changing color. He is so shocked, he lets go of the tree and falls. Then he attempts to collect the leaves and reattach them to the tree. His mother, when she discovers what he is up to, smiles and explains about the tree. It is a great little story. The squirrels look more like dogs with funny tails but other than that the illustrations are great. The trees and the leaves in full bloom are extremely well done. This is a fun, bright colorful book to share with children.