About the Author

Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 135 books for kids, including If You Were the Moon, Lion of the Sky, theCan Be... series, and Bookspeak! Poems about Books. Poetry and rhyming nonfiction books are her favorite things to write. Laura loves to do author visits, writing workshops, and teacher inservices. Read more about Laura and her work at laurasalas.com. Violeta Dabija lives in Moldova, a small Eastern European country. She has a strong traditional art background, a BA degree in Fine Arts/Graphic Design and 10 years of experience as a children's book illustrator. She works in both traditional and digital media and often mixes them to produce delicate and atmospheric illustrations with a traditional feel. She has illustrated about 25 children's books and she enjoys creating magic pictures and unique environments for her characters.

Reviews

"A great read-aloud choice for fall story hours and classroom units on leaves." --Booklist-- (3/15/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"A lovely observation about nature, suitable for a variety of science units or individual sharing." --School Library Journal-- (3/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"A smart, sweet, and savvy meditation on form and function as well as a lesson in rhyming and alliteration that explores the many roles of a leaf." --ForeWord Magazine-- (2/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Dabija, a Moldovan illustrator, saturates her pictures with lush color. Of course, there is lots of green but also dusty orange, misty lavender and deep mustard, in what is as much an exploration of the variation of color as it is of nature's changeability. . . . Grown-up readers may be a bit in awe too." --The New York Times Book Review-- (3/28/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Each spread is bursting with natural wonder, and while the animals are cute rather than realistic, the art creatively and effectively supports the text's evocation of the leafy world. This is an ideal curricular introduction to a unit on leaves, but it will also find plenty of readers drawn to its rich language and portrayal of the natural world." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books-- (4/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Salas explores the many functions a leaf can serve with simple grace.... Dabija bathes her mixed-media scenes in a fuzzy glow, creating a welcoming environment in every spread." --Publishers Weekly-- (1/9/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Simple and pleasing, with classroom-discussion and read-aloud appeal." --Kirkus Reviews-- (1/15/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"This book is sure to open a child's eyes to the wonder of the natural world." --Washington Parent-- (6/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)