The Fall of Freddie the Leaf

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf

by Leo Buscaglia

This story by Leo Buscaglia is a warm, wonderfully wise and strikingly simple story about a leaf names Freddie. How Freddie and his companion leaves change with the passing seasons, finally falling to the ground with winter's snow, is an inspiring allegory illustrating the delicate balance between life and death.

This is a warm and thought-provoking story and both children and adults will be deeply touched by this inspiring book. This 20th anniversary edition of this beloved classic has helped thousands of people come to grips with life and death.

Death may be the hardest concept to explain to your little one. Help introduce your child to the idea gently with this beautiful story, which follows Freddie the leaf through his life, and teaches that death does not need to be a scary concept. The pages have anywhere from one to three full paragraphs on them, so this book is more of a listening book for children to learn than a beginning reader. On each set of pages, there are photographs of live trees and leaves, which helps solidify the message of the book as 'real.'

Because death is such a difficult topic, parents tend to delay explaining it depth until they have to. This book will naturally spark your child's interest and result in some difficult questions. Be sure to set aside enough time when reading this book to answer as many questions as your child comes up with. It may even help to take a walk outside and look at the leaves on the trees - especially the fallen ones - when covering the topic together, as visuals help children conceptualize difficult subjects.

I unfortunately lost my grandparents at a very young age. My grandmother and grandfather (on different sides) actually passed within 12 hours of one another, when I was only five years-old. My mom read me this book many times that year to help me understand what death meant, and assure me that grandma and grandpa, like Freddie, led fulfilling lives and were ready - not scared - when their time came. I found great comfort in curling up on my mom's lap and asking all of my questions during and after she read this story. Although I often asked the same questions over and over, I understood her answers a little more each time.

--Audra