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Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
Sergio Ruzzier has illustrated a number of picture books, some of which he also wrote. Italian by birth, he lives in New York City. He is a member of the Maurice Sendak fellowship.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Leo is an affable weasel who delivers the mail every day in a "little old town." Despite the fact that he's well liked and sociable, he has never, ever received a letter himself. But he finds something better in his mailbox one day in the form of a lost baby bird, who responds to every question with "Cheep!" Figuring that Cheep got lost on his way south, Leo gives him some sun-dried crickets (he always has some on hand for emergencies) and takes the baby bird home with him. "Time goes by. Leo and Cheep are now a little family." Then the inevitable happens: after spending a winter with Leo, Cheep is reunited with his flock. Leo may have lost a friend, but he has found a pen pal. There are no big surprises in the plot that unfolds, but the small details (Leo taking a break in his mail route to play bocce and Cheep adding stick bird's-feet to a snowman, for example) are so singular that they will amuse adult readers and make perfect sense to young listeners. The quiet watercolor and ink illustrations match the tone perfectly, and also add small moments of drama (a fox receiving a love letter, a heated discussion over a bocce game, to name a few). Words and pictures combine to make a very satisfying story overall for young children and their caregivers. kathleen t. horning (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A sweet, understated story set amid a wonderfully odd landscape, Ruzzier's latest centers around Leo, a mailman who appears to be a tall, furry-tailed weasel. The book begins with Leo on the job, delivering all kinds of mail to friends and neighbors but deep down wishing someone would send him a letter. Using pen-and-ink and watercolors, Ruzzier presents Leo's town as a series of rolling hills, each one a different color, in sight of jagged mountains and a river that slices through the earth. Leo's neighbors are happy animals, like the fish who are delivered a box. Leo himself remains lonely until he finds a young bird separated from his flock. He takes care of Cheep and they become a little family. Their eventual separation is made bearable by the letter Cheep sends from his winter home. The sentiments on that written page (nothing but the word cheep) are less important than the affection behind them, which Ruzzier manages to capture in just a few words and charming pictures.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2014 Booklist