Overview

Lance Cottonwood is the brightest leaf in the class but even the brightest students have worries. Lance is afraid his final exam will take him from the top of his comfortable tree to somewhere he doesn't want to be. Will Lance conquer his fears and learn to let go or will he let his worries take over?

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9781684461042

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How do leaves know when to fall? Lance Cottonwood is the sharpest leaf in school. He aces all his courses, including Budding, Wind Resistance, Photosynthesis 101, and Pigment Changing. The autumn semester brings anxiety, though. How will he pass the final exam and float effortlessly from his tree to the ground as he's supposed to? Lance has a big problem for a leaf: He's afraid of falling. He makes excuses for not doing it, then determines to emulate an evergreen cluster and remain tree-bound all winter. After a kindly teacher helps him overcome his fears, he decides to just do it. With encouragement from teacher and schoolmates, Lance lets go and lands on the ground safely. This jaunty, endearing autumn story might help anxious youngsters confront their own apprehension at facing worrisome experiences. Even though Lance literally lets go, he doesn't let go of his fears but rather understands and accepts them--and performs the scary activity anyway, feeling proud of himself afterward. Besides reassuring readers, the tale provides some facts about trees. Autumn-colored display type, sometimes capitalized, appears throughout to express Lance's and other characters' dialogue. The charming illustrations depict sweet-faced, expressive, heart-shaped Lance and fellow leaves rendered in fall colors. A fact-based ""progress report"" for Lance appears on the final page. A reassuring story that should leave readers feeling a bit more self-confident. (Picture book. 4-7)-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Lance the cottonwood leaf is a phenomenal student who excels at everything--budding, wind resistance, photosynthesis, and pigment changing. He is always at the top of his class. However, Lance begins to worry as his final exam in falling off the tree in autumn approaches. He is afraid of landing in unwelcoming places and hangs on until he is the very last leaf. Lance's teacher and classmates reassure him and, nervously, Lance eventually takes the leap. A confidence-boosting picture book for early childhood and elementary students, this illustrates that even the most confident and seemingly successful people have vulnerabilities. Lance learns to be comfortable with his authentic self and lets go of his fears and insecurities--his schooling has prepared him for this. Lance and the other leaves are large and prominent in the warm gold, green, and brown autumnal scenes, personifying all of the angst and bravado of the elementary school scene. VERDICT A great choice for addressing social emotional development in the areas of anxiety and perfectionism, and as a bonus, scientific facts about Lanceleaf -Cottonwoods are included.--Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal Sch., Middleton, DE ""School Library Journal""

"How do leaves know when to fall? Lance Cottonwood is the sharpest leaf in school. He aces all his courses, including Budding, Wind Resistance, Photosynthesis 101, and Pigment Changing. The autumn semester brings anxiety, though. How will he pass the final exam and float effortlessly from his tree to the ground as he's supposed to? Lance has a big problem for a leaf: He's afraid of falling. He makes excuses for not doing it, then determines to emulate an evergreen cluster and remain tree-bound all winter. After a kindly teacher helps him overcome his fears, he decides to just do it. With encouragement from teacher and schoolmates, Lance lets go and lands on the ground safely. This jaunty, endearing autumn story might help anxious youngsters confront their own apprehension at facing worrisome experiences. Even though Lance literally lets go, he doesn't let go of his fears but rather understands and accepts them--and performs the scary activity anyway, feeling proud of himself afterward. Besides reassuring readers, the tale provides some facts about trees. Autumn-colored display type, sometimes capitalized, appears throughout to express Lance's and other characters' dialogue. The charming illustrations depict sweet-faced, expressive, heart-shaped Lance and fellow leaves rendered in fall colors. A fact-based ""progress report"" for Lance appears on the final page. A reassuring story that should leave readers feeling a bit more self-confident. (Picture book. 4-7)-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Lance the cottonwood leaf is a phenomenal student who excels at everything--budding, wind resistance, photosynthesis, and pigment changing. He is always at the top of his class. However, Lance begins to worry as his final exam in falling off the tree in autumn approaches. He is afraid of landing in unwelcoming places and hangs on until he is the very last leaf. Lance's teacher and classmates reassure him and, nervously, Lance eventually takes the leap. A confidence-boosting picture book for early childhood and elementary students, this illustrates that even the most confident and seemingly successful people have vulnerabilities. Lance learns to be comfortable with his authentic self and lets go of his fears and insecurities--his schooling has prepared him for this. Lance and the other leaves are large and prominent in the warm gold, green, and brown autumnal scenes, personifying all of the angst and bravado of the elementary school scene. VERDICT A great choice for addressing social emotional development in the areas of anxiety and perfectionism, and as a bonus, scientific facts about Lanceleaf -Cottonwoods are included.--Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal Sch., Middleton, DE ""School Library Journal"""

Author Information

Stef Wade used to write about cardboard boxes, but thinks writing books is far more exciting. She was the co-creator and writer for the former cooking and home blog Haute Apple Pie. Stef holds a BA in advertising from Marquette University and an MBA in Integrated Marketing Communication from DePaul University. Stef is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She currently resides in the greater Milwaukee area with her husband and three boys. As a child, Jennifer Davison was always drawing, imagining, and creating. She began her career as a digital artist in an animation studio in Belfast, working on a variety of projects for children's TV. Jennifer's passion for illustration led her to pursue a career as a freelance illustrator, working on a number of children's books including A Very Noisy Christmas, A Very Happy Easter, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Jennifer lives in Northern Ireland and works in her little studio, surrounded by children's books, toys, and numerous hot cups of tea.

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