When I saw Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann, I just had to pick it up.

The cover of Dieckmann’s latest picture book is just beautiful. The image is striking, a white polar bear poking out amongst bright, colourful leaves. In fact, the whole book is so beautiful that I couldn’t part with it. It is now another book to add to our ever-growing collection of picture books.

What makes Leaf so beautiful?

The first thing that attracts you is Dieckmann’s amazing illustrations – the contrasting use of colours, with burnt orange amongst deep blues. The use of patterns in the landscape, in the leaves and mountains, is so detailed. But deep in the heart of the book, is a beautiful message, and an all important one.

How do we react when something different and new enters our lives…

The story of Leaf starts with the arrival of a polar bear in the woods. He is obviously out of place in the woods and lost. Most of the other animals fear this strange creature. It is the crows who realise that they need to listen to his story…

I feel that Sandra Dieckmann’s book is a work of art first and foremost, and a picture book second. The cover and stunning illustrations of Leaf will appeal to adults, as well as children. The story itself and message behind Leaf is an important one to bring to the forefront of children’s minds and worthwhile discussing.

Like This Post