Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus illustrated by Jose Aruego

From time to time, I think about Leo the Late Bloomer (1971) because it was a favourite book of a very skilled Kindergarten teacher who worked at the first school where I was appointed back in 1984 in rural NSW. I have also mentioned Leo the Late Bloomer a few times over the years here on this blog so I was pleased to pick up a copy (in close to mint condition) at a recent charity book sale. 

Leo couldn't talk. Leo couldn't draw. Leo couldn't write.  Leo couldn't read. He was also a very sloppy eater. But his mother knows they just need to wait. One day Leo will bloom! Dad just needs to be patient and listen to mum!

I love the way, when he finally does speak, Leo says a whole sentence and not just those punctuation words such as no, yes, up, down, more, mum, dad etc. 

Having reading this book again decades after I first saw it, I can now see it might be a book you could share with new parents in a preschool setting or at the start of kindergarten. If I was reading it to a group of children in a library or classroom I would talk about the concepts we associate with Growth Mindset such as "some things might take longer but that's okay"; "When I struggle I grow"; and "It's okay for me to make mistakes". And you could talk about the way we are all different and we all learn differently and the importance of patience and perseverance. This book might also fit in with your family if your child has older siblings who 'seem' to be great at everything - reading this book side by side with your young reading companion might allow you to talk about the concept of 'not yet'. Try to find the book Frog is Frog where Frog is trying to find his talent.

I now discover there was also a sequel -Leo the Late Bloomer bakes a cake (1982) but I have not found a cover image to share. 

I found these two classroom ideas.

Robert Kraus (1925-2001) wrote and illustrated over 100 books. Here are a couple of other books by Robert Kraus:

Never, Not Ever! by Beatrice Alemagna translated by Jill Davis

"She is five years old with furry ears and pink wings and she knows exactly what she likes."

Pascaline is a young bat. Everyone is heading off for their first day of school but NOT Pascaline. She shrieks:

Never, not ever!

The parents try to explain "you'll learn so many things ... you'll make lots of new friends."

But Pascaline yells so loudly her parents shrivel down to the size of two peanuts. Problem solved. Pascaline can take them to school under her wing. Inside the classroom Pascaline discovers the other kids are nervous too. Trouble is her tiny parents keep joining in with the day - they sing and then complain about the food. Dad even falls into the soup. Pascaline has such a hard time controlling them. 

"Finally, school is over. Everyone gets hugs and kisses. Poor Pascaline. She has nobody to pick her up. Of course. How can your parents come and get you when they've been clinging to you for five hours?"

And now for the important question - can mum and dad come to school tomorrow?

Never, not ever!

Back to school is just a few days away here in Australia. It might be fun to share this book with a young reader who is about move from preschool to 'big school.'

Here is the French cover:

There are hundreds or even thousands of books about starting school. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything and I have put some of our favourites into this Pinterest collection. 

Pair this with:

The Balloon Blow Up! by Andy Geppert

 

"A balloon as big as the moon will quickly pop. I think we need to make it smaller."

The little girl asks her friend the elephant to blow up her balloon. To make it big, bigger, biggest - as big as the moon!

After Elephant explains this might lead to a disaster she watches as he shrinks the balloon smaller and smaller until it goes pfft!

Then a new voice takes over the balloon himself speaks up. (In a way this shouldn't be a surprise if you notice the image on the title page). The balloon sets up his conditions for use and care in the form of an owner's contract. This reminded me of this book:

I am certain this new Australian Picture book will be a CBCA Notable (Early Childhood). Andy Geppert won Children’s Book Council of Australia Crichton Award ‘Best New Illustrator’ (2010).  The Balloon Blow up! is such a fun book. It is one you will want to share with many groups of readers in your school library. The limited colours of grey, yellow and mauve all done in a soft focus are perfect. Grab a balloon and your toy elephant and settle down for a terrific reading experience. The cover alone, with those 'O' balloons will surely make you want to open this book. 

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a Pinterest collection of books about balloons. Here is a set of teachers notes written by Dr Robyn Sheahan-Bright. The notes also include a list of other picture books about balloons. Here is my favourite:

The Balloon Blow Up goes to show you that even just one decision can be quite a complex thing. It can take quite a bit of thinking. Good Reading Magazine

Andy Geppert’s exquisite illustrations add an extra layer of magic to this adorable story. The mostly monochrome palette is offset with fun pops of colour. Cute and expressive characters add personality, and there are lots of little details for children to spot. Reading Time

Sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impact on our little ones. Geppert captures the feeling of being overwhelmed – and how to step down from the rising sense of panic – with sincerity and generosity. This is a perfect story for parents and children who are looking for an alternative to the brash colour and noise of many kids’ picture books! It’s fun and full of energy, but it never shouts. Better Reading

Here are two other books by Andy Geppert:

Backyard Birdies

Mice in Picture Books

Someone asked this question on a Facebook forum this morning and 350 people replied!

Suggestions for a picture book about a mouse please ...

Popular authors, series and titles were: Kevin Henkes, Beatrix Potter, Leo Lionni, Brambly Hedge, Library Mouse series by Daniel Kirk, the Angelina Ballerina series, Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh, and the Clarice series by Megan Hess. Strangely no one mentioned the Maisy series by Lucy Cousins. If you search "mice" in my side bar you will find even more books including heaps of novels too.

Here are some of the suggestions and books that were listed I have mentioned previously on this blog:

Tillie and the Wall

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear

There's a bear on my Chair

If you give a mouse a Cookie

Anatole

Rosemary Wells

Need a house? Call Ms Mouse!

Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse

Herbert Binns and the Flying Tricycle

Herbert Binns and the Flying Tricycle second post

King Mouse

Mr Maxwell's Mouse (for older readers)

The Vegetable Thieves

Mouse's Wood

A library book for Bear (and others in series)

Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse

(Town Mouse and Country Mouse titles)

The Mouse who carried a House on his Back

Marguerite's fountain

The Station Mouse

The Piano Recital

Truffle's Christmas

Edit - a late addition - my copy of Mouse Tales is a small format beginner book and so I didn't include it but of course it is a classic with very sweet illustrations and it was mentioned several times in the Facebook thread. 

Mouse Tales and Mouse Soup

There were a few books suggested that I had not seen or have not talked about here.. Sadly there were a few of the very old titles that I couldn't find: