ESOLish Picture Stories · ESOL Entry 1

The Last Leaf

A simple retelling of O. Henry’s story.

Includes serious illness and the death of a character.

Turn the pages and enjoy the story. Tap any word to hear it. Bold, dotted-underlined words also have a simple meaning and example.

The Last Leaf: Sue paints while Johnsy rests in bed.

Two friends

Pages 1–2

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Read for pleasure. The final page shares a lesson from the story.

Turn on JavaScript for page turns and word help. You can also read the complete story here.Two friendsSue and Johnsy are young artists who share a small home.One winter, Johnsy becomes very ill with pneumonia.Sue looks after her while a doctor visits.Leaves at the windowOutside the window, leaves fall from an ivy plant.Johnsy watches them and feels hopeless.“When the last leaf falls, I will die,” she tells Sue.Sue asks her not to give up.An old artistSue tells their neighbour Behrman about Johnsy’s fear.Behrman is an old artist who wants to paint a masterpiece.He cares about the two young women and wants to help.The stormThat night, the wind blows and heavy rain falls.Behrman goes outside with his paints and a lantern.He paints a green leaf on the wall where the last real leaf has fallen.A reason to tryIn the morning, Johnsy sees a leaf still on the wall.It stays there through the wind and rain.She begins to feel hopeful and asks for some soup.Slowly, she starts to recover.The truth about the leafSue tells Johnsy that Behrman became ill after that cold night.Sadly, the old artist has died.The leaf on the wall is his painting, not a real leaf.His final masterpiece helped Johnsy find the strength to live.What can we learn?Friendship and care can bring hope during difficult times.Behrman’s kindness gives Johnsy a reason to keep trying.When someone feels hopeless, stay close and help them get support.

A shortened ESOLish retelling. Original story by O. Henry.

The Last Leaf

Two friends

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