ALA Booklist (Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 CST 2003)

Buddy Bear's mother takes her son on leaf walks each season of the year. As they amble outdoors, Buddy asks questions about the plants and trees, and his mother patiently, sometimes a bit awkwardly, describes such processes as a plant's food cycle and leaf coloration. Mother-son picnics, interactive sections (a page of leaf shapes to identify), and silly jokes (What did the tree take on vacation? A trunk!) are infused among the lessons to keep things lively. Unfortunately, the juxtaposition of somewhat detailed botanical facts with the bears' affectionate dialogue is often jarring, and the static, cut-paper collage illustrations seem too young for the subject matter presented. Still, children will enjoy learning about the change of seasons, leaf-related terminology (blade, veins, chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, etc.), plant growth, and more. The book closes with an illustrated glossary of the leaf as a food factory, a poem, a leaf-rubbing activity, and back endpapers with labeled leaf shapes.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

This simple book features Mama Bear and Buddy Bear, who go for leaf walks in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each excursion features a dialogue with leaf information, a seasonal snack, and a joke. For this introduction to leaf lore, bright collage illustrations match the uncomplicated text; though somewhat limited, both are accurate. A craft suggestion and tree diagram, with leaf verse, are appended.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-As in Apples, Apples, Apples (Winslow, 2000) and Pumpkin Day (Marshall Cavendish, 2002), Wallace successfully blends fiction and nonfiction, art and informational text. Buddy Bear and his mama go on leaf walks during the different seasons of the year. They observe, collect, and examine leaves and trees in various stages of their annual cycles. During these excursions, the little bear asks probing questions and his mother answers using clever analogies and other techniques of a gifted teacher. The cub's lively curiosity will be contagious to readers and his playful riddles add to the enjoyment. The final pages and endpapers include a diagram of a tree, suggestions for a leaf-rubbing activity, and an identification chart. Wallace's signature cut-paper collages of animal characters against simple backgrounds work well, since the flat look is particularly appropriate for the subject matter. This will be a welcome addition to any collection in the autumn months when a demand for these books is high and, considering the scope of the text, it works well year-round.-Rachel G. Payne, New York Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.