The Yellow Leaves Are Coming

Readers of James Gladstone’s The Yellow Leaves Are Coming are taken on a year’s journey through the four seasons as a boy and his younger sister await the return of fall so they can see the yellow leaves on the trees. In each season, we read and see the characteristics of the seasons: the white snow contrasting the darkness of winter, the renewal of spring and the fresh green leaves, the haziness and heat of summer, and the chilly return of the cool wind bringing back autumn, and, of course, the beloved yellow leaves. Text and illustrations of the boy and his sister depict the siblings outside interacting in their urban environment and with living things in each season.

François Thisdale’s illustrations are a combination of drawing, photography, acrylic painting, and digital art. The rich colour palette enhances each season’s text. Young readers will enjoy the details of the animals in the pictures (a cat, a rabbit, a butterfly, birds), and adults will appreciate the detailed imagery of the buildings and the environment of the neighbourhood.

The Yellow Leaves Are Changing would be a good choice for educators teaching about science concepts such as earth systems and the changing of seasons. The urban environment of the book also presents children with a setting that is not often depicted in books about seasonal changes. The Yellow Leaves Are Coming also opens up possibilities for writing activities as children could select their own natural element that is coming in their favourite season and write their own story about seasonal changes.

Overall, The Yellow Leaves Are Changing is a modern and fresh take on the classic changing of seasons theme and is suitable for community, school, and home libraries.