I'm Afraid, Said the Leaf

Illustrated by Matt James
Look inside
Hardcover
$18.99 US
10.88"W x 9.31"H x 0.53"D   | 22 oz | 12 per carton
On sale May 07, 2024 | 64 Pages | 9781774880708
Age 3-7 years
A touching, playful exploration of empathy and interdependency from an acclaimed author and illustrator.

I’m afraid, Said the leaf. / You’re not alone, Said the tree. But who will comfort a nervous bird, a lonely crab, a lost wolf? How can a horse find warmth, a snail some cheer, a child some rest? Through a series of amusing and soothing exchanges, this deceptively simple and profound picture book depicts different pairings to celebrate interconnectedness and underlines the importance of caring for every living organism to ensure a strong and healthy natural world. I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf invites young readers to understand that we all need each other for support and survival — and that we're all stronger together.
© Gerry Kingsley
DANIELLE DANIEL is a writer, an award-winning children's book author and an illustrator. Like many Francophones with origins in Quebec, she shares an ancestral link to the people who inspired Daughters of the Deer, a first novel that springs from the story of what happened to the daughter of an Algonquin woman and a soldier/settler from France. Her picture books include Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and a Best 100 title at the New York Public Library) and You Hold Me Up, shortlisted for the 2018 Marilyn Baillie Award, among other honours. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and lives in the traditional territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (Sudbury, Ontario). View titles by Danielle Daniel
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PRAISE FOR I'm Afraid, Said the Leaf:

"Every worry is addressed and every need is met in this eloquent portrait of the interconnectedness of the living world." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

"[T]he art renders the tale truly universal." Kirkus Reviews

"The perfect book for any young reader who'd rather read outside." Booklist

"[A] good picture book about kindness and how all species are interconnected and depend on each other "to exist and thrive in harmony.""Metroland

"I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf will offer new connections to the natural and human worlds each time you read it with a fortunate child." Imaginary Elevators

“A great book to get children thinking about nature and perhaps experience it in a way they hadn’t before!” The Southern Bookseller

About

A touching, playful exploration of empathy and interdependency from an acclaimed author and illustrator.

I’m afraid, Said the leaf. / You’re not alone, Said the tree. But who will comfort a nervous bird, a lonely crab, a lost wolf? How can a horse find warmth, a snail some cheer, a child some rest? Through a series of amusing and soothing exchanges, this deceptively simple and profound picture book depicts different pairings to celebrate interconnectedness and underlines the importance of caring for every living organism to ensure a strong and healthy natural world. I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf invites young readers to understand that we all need each other for support and survival — and that we're all stronger together.

Creators

© Gerry Kingsley
DANIELLE DANIEL is a writer, an award-winning children's book author and an illustrator. Like many Francophones with origins in Quebec, she shares an ancestral link to the people who inspired Daughters of the Deer, a first novel that springs from the story of what happened to the daughter of an Algonquin woman and a soldier/settler from France. Her picture books include Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and a Best 100 title at the New York Public Library) and You Hold Me Up, shortlisted for the 2018 Marilyn Baillie Award, among other honours. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and lives in the traditional territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (Sudbury, Ontario). View titles by Danielle Daniel

Photos

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Praise

PRAISE FOR I'm Afraid, Said the Leaf:

"Every worry is addressed and every need is met in this eloquent portrait of the interconnectedness of the living world." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

"[T]he art renders the tale truly universal." Kirkus Reviews

"The perfect book for any young reader who'd rather read outside." Booklist

"[A] good picture book about kindness and how all species are interconnected and depend on each other "to exist and thrive in harmony.""Metroland

"I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf will offer new connections to the natural and human worlds each time you read it with a fortunate child." Imaginary Elevators

“A great book to get children thinking about nature and perhaps experience it in a way they hadn’t before!” The Southern Bookseller