LUCKY LEAF

While trying to beat level 20, a young boy’s video-gaming gets interrupted by the age-old maternal cry of “Get outside and play!” He takes his dog for a walk in the autumn leaves and meets up with some friends who have also been tossed out for some fresh air. The three of them find a tree with one remaining leaf, and someone says that catching the last leaf to fall from a tree is lucky. Being more patient and sneaky than his friends, the boy catches the last leaf on his hat and returns to his house to try his luck at trouncing level 20. O’Malley’s inked illustrations, colored digitally, are laid out like a comic strip in panels, with about half of them filling a single page and all of the text appearing in balloons. As usual, there’s more going on in the pictures than O’Malley’s text would indicate; sly jokes include a squirrel’s complicity in the leaf’s descent and the idea that being outside does not necessarily mean physical activity. Youngsters will be able to relate to the young video-gamer, and they’ll feel right at home in the comic-book format. (Picture book. 3-8)