New Shoes for Leo
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Debut Cuban-American author Lauren Agra Deedy and award-winning artist Susan Gal join forces in this charming, heartfelt picture book story about an immigrant family-and their love and caring for family they left behind.
* "Jubilant. . . exuberant . . . energetic." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
William's Mami and his Tía Ana are busy packing a big box of food, medicine, and clothing to mail to their family living in Cuba.
But something important is missing.
They have no zapatos, no shoes, to send Cousin Leo!
"Which cousin is Leo?" William asks.
Tía Ana answers him with a thin paper tracing of Leo's footprint. She nudges him out the door to find someone in the family with spare shoes in Leo's size. But finding shoes for Leo is not as easy as it seems.
With warmth and tenderness, Lauren Agra Deedy and Susan Gal have created a rich, colorful story of a tight-knit family - and the love that grows as they care for those living far away.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this jubilant, dialogue-driven story with a "Cinderella"-like arc, a child seeks to help family by searching for a much-needed item. Every month, William watches as Mami and Tía Ana bring home goods to mail from the U.S. to relatives in Cuba. Eager to help, William is tasked to find "zapatos, shoes, for your cousin Leo. He has outgrown his, and there is no money left to buy more." Given a tracing of Leo's foot, William visits the apartments of his relatives to see if their feet match the outline of Leo's, and learns that Leo has freckles, likes to draw, and loves baseball—just like William. The bold strokes, scribbles, and textures of Gal's exuberant pencil, ink, and watercolor illustrations amplify Deedy's energetic prose as William, family member by family member, devotedly works toward a moment of personal generosity. Creators' notes and a glossary of Spanish words conclude. Ages 4–8.
