The Last Leaf - by David Biedrzycki (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Balls to the head, missed goals, and loud parents--soccer is tough! A funny, heartwarming story about soccer, setbacks, and sticking with it.

Our hero wants to quit--but one stubborn leaf inspires her to hang in there in this funny, empowering picture book about perseverance and self-esteem.

A young soccer player is struggling during the fall season. Balls to the head! Loud parents! Missed shots! Sometimes she can't wait to go home. But then she sees one last autumn leaf on a tree, just hanging in there. Can she do the same?

Inspired by the leaf, the girl keeps practicing. Come spring, the leaf is still there--and so is she!

Gorgeous illustrations full of action and humor celebrate resilience and growth mindset. Author/illustrator David Biedrzycki coached his children's soccer teams, so he knows how important it is for kids to hear this message of persistence. Just hang in there!

Review Quotes

A child learns lessons from autumn's last lingering leaf.
The pale-skinned, bespectacled young narrator is enjoying a beautiful fall day...before being decked in the face with a soccer ball. The scene abruptly shifts to the pitch as the child sighs: "I try hard. But I'm not very good." Back home, the child jumps into a leaf pile in the yard. A final fall leaf clings to a tree branch, and though the protagonist is determined to reach it, the child's attempts fail. As the leaf clings stubbornly to its limb, the protagonist persists, too, practicing soccer even as the color drains from the once vibrant pages, conveying the youngster's despair. The leaf hangs on through winter while the protagonist plays indoor soccer, honing skills on the long march to spring. As buds bloom on the tree, the child notices the last leaf is still there and proudly notes, "I am, too!" The illustrations fill with color again, and the youngster remembers the leaf's lessons: "Hang...in...there!" At last, the child leads the soccer team to victory during a championship game. Biedrzycki's pencil illustrations are alive with the emotion, energy, and empathy readers will remember from his previous work. The author/illustrator inserts clever details--the soccer team is the Leafs (in the final scene, the titular phrase applies to both the leaf and the child, who gets the chance to step up at last).
Just the thing to plant the seeds of perseverance in young readers.
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

David Biedrzycki is the author and illustrator of ARTificial Intelligence, Invasion of the Unicorns, SumoPuppy, SumoKitty, and Groundhog's Runaway Shadow, as well as the Breaking News series; the Me and My Dragon series; and the Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective series. He has also illustrated many picture books, including The Beetle Alphabet Book and Dory Story.