Leo the Late Bloomer

Leo the Late Bloomer
by Robert Kraus, Pictures by Jose Aruego
Windmill Books, 1971

I have always loved this book with its reminder that everything happens in its own time. That we all approach life differently, that we are all unique in our abilities, and we will "get there" when we "get there."

I love the illustrations of sad little Leo failing at writing, reading, drawing, and apparently eating! The way Aruego depicts his incompetence warms the cockles of my heart and how much happier the story becomes when Leo is finally soaring as he excels. See how sweet he is in the image below!