Description
Last Leaf First Snowflake to Fall by Ojibwe artist Leo Yerxa is a celebration of the seasonal change from fall to winter. Through prose poetry and collage images, Yerxa weaves an engaging account of a Nishnawbe (Ojibwe) parent and child who travel in the woods during autumn. They begin by paddling a canoe to an island where they walk through different types of terrain. As evening approaches the pair set up camp and they settle in for the night. Using their upturned canoe for shelter the two fall asleep hearing the wind howl. During the night the first snow falls and they awake to the earth blanketed in snow. The falls colours have disappeared and a new season has begun. The picture book takes the reader through a imaginative journey of sight and sound during the seasons. The delicate watercolour and collage images create the magical place of the forest in fall. The author writes sparingly in poetic prose about the joyful journey of parent and child and what they encounter along the way. Two-page spreads of art appear throughout the text balanced by single page drawings and small visuals. This book will appeal to children and adults who can begin to appreciate the environment of northern Ontario through the eyes of an Ojibwe artist. Reading Level: 3.3