“The Last Leaf” by Billy Baldwin

THE LAST LEAF

Billy Baldwin
Decozen Books (2016)
ISBN  9780997697001
Reviewed by Willow Cramer (age 7) for Reader Views (01/17)

“The Last Leaf” by Billy Baldwin is a story about a young leaf named Crinkle, who couldn’t get out of his branch because he was stuck, but he finally pops out and is surprised he is purple! He doesn’t match any of the other leaves. He believes he can’t do anything right, while other leaves and branches make fun of him. Only Old Gus, the oldest leaf, tries to comfort and encourage the young leaf by telling him that when leaves fall off the tree they become part of the Old Oak Tree again. Later, when all the leaves have fallen off the tree, only Crinkle is still there. He is surprised when the Old Oak Tree talks to him and tells him how special he is.

My favorite part of the story is that Crinkle tries so hard to stay on the tree when none of the other leaves believe he can. They make fun of him and tell him he can’t do it, but he does it anyway.

My least favorite part of the story is when the big wind tries to eat Crinkle and when the other leaves pick him last to play. This makes me sad because the other leaves don’t like him or believe in him.

I really liked how “The Last Leaf” was drawn. The art was beautiful, but weird because the leaf was purple. That is real. I like how it was drawn when Crinkle becomes a branch and will have new leaves coming out of him. I also like that if you look really, really close Old Oak Tree looks like he has a face.

I think other kids would also like “The Last Leaf” by Billy Baldwin because the leaf is purple and different than the other leaves. I learned that even though you may be different, you can still fit in. We all are different sometimes, so it’s nice this book can remind me that when I feel lonely, other kids may be lonely too. And like Crinkle who thinks that “if he tried really really hard, he might even become a tree!” If I try really hard, I can be whatever I want to be!