Read the story of Icarus and Daedalus, the inventor and architect who used bird feathers to create wings so he could escape from King Minos’s prison. Explore the themes, characters and storyline. There's a stranger in the forest and everyone is worried. Can empathy and insight overcome difference and prejudice?

Look at the first spread (the bear floating on the ice.) How does the bear feel? How can you tell? As a class, collect words to describe him and his feelings. Copy the bear’s posture, then find other ways to use your body to show sadness, loneliness and fear Collect words to describe everything in this image: water, sky, feathers; flying, falling, splashing, swimming; how it feels to be a crow or bear. Set up whole-class wordbanks and use to tell stories about the bear falling in the water. Create a map of the places mentioned and depicted in the story – the wild woods, the lake, the sea, the cave, the polar bear’s original home. Perhaps you could refer to the compass points to direct a partner around your map?How do his emotions change throughout the story? Recreate the bear's postures, gestures and body language from other spreads in the book and find words to describe him at each stage. Is it helpful to understand how other people feel? Why? What happens if you don't understand their feelings? Washed in by the tide, a polar bear arrives on the shores of a northern forest and settles in an abandoned cave.

I genuinely can't stop thinking of the utterly vibrant illustrations in here. Like, I tried to close my eyes after reading and all I could see were the lively colors springing up in my mind over and over. Here's a handful of examples of said occurrence:Leaf didn’t want to leave his home, he had no control over it. But when he entered into the Wildwood, he wasn’t treated kindly. The other animals were scared and didn’t want him there, and they called him names. Leaf’s treatment is reminiscent of the treatment that can be seen in real life. Wear your wings. How does it feel? Take plenty of photos! Write descriptions of your wings and instructions on how to make them. Simply lovely. While the story seems rather straightforward, there’s a lot going on here – through Leaf’s plight and the reactions of his new neighbors, readers learn lessons in empathy, consideration, helping others, and – most notably – caution against fear of otherness (even the choice of the polar bear, a species rapidly losing its habitat, is not an accident). It encourages us not to judge someone simply because they look, sound, or act differently from us, especially as they may have very good reasons, and may even need our help but don’t know how to ask. The art is simply stunning, an intricate symphony of color around the stark white polar bear, both engaging young eyes and providing a visual example of how Leaf differs from the new world he finds himself in. The length is great, and JJ loved all the animals and vibrant colors. A sweet story with some wonderful lessons, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!