A Letter for Leo

by Sergio Ruzzier

Overview

The illustrator of Eve Bunting’s Tweak Tweak and Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? makes his Clarion debut as author/illustrator with a tender book about loneliness and friendship. Leo, a mailman, takes in a small bird, Cheep, who missed the autumn migration of his flock.When spring comes and Cheep moves on, Leo is sad to see him go, but he also has hope, and the letter he has been longing for finally arrives. Sergio Ruzzier’s signature, slightly surreal animal characters and the setting, rendered in brilliant colors, make this simple, eloquent story a visual treat for the very young.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544380936
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/04/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Sergio Ruzzier has illustrated a number of picture books, some of which he also wrote. Italian by birth, he lives in Brooklyn.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/29/2014
Leo, a ferretlike critter, makes everyone’s day with his postal deliveries of “big boxes, small packets, envelopes of every size, catalogs, love letters, birthday cards.” Leo will occasionally take a moment to stop for a chat or play bocce, but he’s actually a solitary fellow who has never received a letter himself. Then one day Leo rescues a little bird who’s become stuck in a mailbox, and everything changes for him—including his eventual understanding of why the mail means so much to his customers. Ruzzier (Bear and Bee Too Busy) has long had a taste—and gift—for the slightly surreal, but his watercolor-and-ink drawings in this outing are very much slice-of-life, with an old-fashioned sense of characterization and telling detail; readers will feel that they instantly know the “little old town” where Leo delivers letters and all of its inhabitants. This is a lovely story about connection and all that it implies, told with concision, reticence, and just the right balance of bitter and sweet. Ages 4–8. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Friends separated by a move may be soothed by the (albiet old-fashioned) idea that they can stay in touch via letters" —Kirkus "This is a lovely story about concision, reticence, and just the right balance of bitter and sweet." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "Words and pictures combine to make a very satisfying story overall for young children and their caregivers." —Horn Book Magazine "A sweet, understated story set amid a wonderfully odd landscape." —Booklist "Ruzzier writes with a thoughtful simplicity, and the story, thematically similar to Dubuc’s The Lion and the Bird, provides a useful connection point for kids who might relate to the sad feeling of being separated from a loved friend or family member. " —Bulletin —

From the Publisher

2014-08-27
A letter carrier who never gets mail himself must experience the ache of a friend's moving away before he can have this singular joy. Leo delivers the mail in his small town. The weasel happily delivers packages and letters of all sorts, and he even sometimes stops to rest and chat or play bocce with his friends. But at the end of the day, he is disappointed with his own empty mailbox, " ‘Maybe tomorrow,' he sighs." But one day, the mailbox emits some peculiar noises, and Leo discovers Cheep. Leo cares for the tiny bird as autumn turns to winter, their friendship deepening as they share all sorts of adventures. But when spring comes and the birds fly north again, Leo knows it's time to say goodbye. A sorrowful, wordless spread in the colors of the sunset expresses all that Leo and Cheep are feeling. All is as it was before for Leo save for one thing: a letter from Cheep. Retro colors and sparse backgrounds in the tiled-roof town give Ruzzier's illustrations an Old World feel that is echoed in the animal characters, some of whom seem to be right out of old cartoons' central casting. Friends separated by a move may be soothed by the (albeit old-fashioned) idea that they can stay in touch via letters, and the final view of Leo and Cheep reunited gives hope for visits. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews