Inspiration struck me as I was looking through the pages of book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. I generally enjoy book illustrations, but I found the ones in this book particularly unique ; all of them are beautiful leaf collages. Leaf roosters, ducks, turtles and other animals run across the pages. Some animals are easily recognizable, while others require a little bit more work on the part of associative thinking, which children usually excel at.

The story does not have a complicated plot, but rather a poetic one. The author is wondering where a Leaf Man went, listing all the possible places and concluding his search by saying that you, the reader, may find your own Leaf Man to take home. A perfect way to encourage children to go outside and look for leaves! Which is what we did.

We took a walk around our neighbourhood, collecting leaves from the ground. Maple, oak, a different kind of maple, birch, a decorative bush of unknown name... We picked up some acorns and pine cones at the same time.

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