Once Upon a Tree

By Dawn Jarocki, Soren Kisiel, Jessica McClure (Illustrator)

A little leaf seeks its purpose amidst changing seasons.

3.7/5 Goodreads · 32 ratings

40 pages

$16.95Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

High in a tree, a little leaf watches life transform around it—birds hatch, caterpillars become butterflies. As seasons shift, the leaf wonders if it too should change. Exhausted by the winds of doubt, it discovers its own beauty and purpose, realizing it's time to let go and embrace its journey. What will the leaf find as it dances to the ground?

From the publisher

This fable of a little leaf looking for his purpose will delight children and their caretakers. The whirling, swirling adventures of an ordinary little leaf high on a tree, struggling to find its purpose. The leaf watches baby birds break out of their shells and grow until they learn to fly. Caterpillars wrap themselves in silk and emerge as magnificent butterflies. Warm sunny days get shorter and windy chilly nights grow longer. The little leaf is terribly worried that it should be transforming too. It no longer noticed anything other than the thoughts spinning in its head. The leaf held on to the tree with all its might, growing exhausted as increasingly cooler winds blew. Then one day, the leaf noticed it had become a beautiful crimson color. And it became aware that maybe, maybe it was time for the leaf to fly too. The leaf was very tired, so it just let go. As it danced and twirled to the ground in the amber sunlight, the leaf finally learns its own unique purpose.

At a glance