An entertaining story with an underlying message of finding acceptance and family.” —Booklist
“This lighthearted tale of a child reared by sea lions is completely outlandish yet manages to capably address very real feelings about belonging and identity…Not explicitly about transracial adoption or blended families, this is about a child longing to belong, and the simultaneous feelings of happiness and alienation here ring true.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will enjoy this method of visual storytelling, as bright colored images and careful use of white space separate elements of the story perfectly. The inclusive cast of human characters have large, round eyes full of cartoon charm which complements the endearing humor. Leo’s story will resonate with anyone who has ever felt a bit out of place in the world and will reassure that life will be just fine.” —School Library Journal
“Vin Vogel tells the delightful story of the boy’s life by the ocean…Vogel’s energetic, cartoonish illustrations add to the appeal of Leo’s adventures. This out-of-the-ordinary story has a heartwarming ending, as Leo and his parents find the perfect home—by the sea, of course.” —BookPage
“A Home for Leo became an instant favorite in our home…While parts of this story are humorous, others are also moving, and thought-provoking. There is just enough text to inform the reader, but there is also a lot to interpret from the illustrations. This allows children to practice inferring, thinking critically, and deepening their comprehension.” —Library Mom
“Just like Leo, many times we don’t know where we fit in. We feel like a fish (or sea lion) out of water…A perfect book to share with multiple ages of children.” —Christy’s Cozy Corners
04/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—Leo, just a babe in arms, becomes lost at sea. Cold and alone, the human boy is adopted by sea lions. As he grows, Leo adorably compares his body parts to other marine creatures and realizes that he is different. Though he is happy and loved, he also feels "like an empty shell" at times. One day he meets a new creature, a little girl playing on the beach. He says hello to her with a loud, "ARK! ARK!" He compares his body parts to hers and they match. The girl's surprised parents notice the lost boy. After becoming a media sensation, Leo is reunited with his parents and the family cat. Leo is happy, though adjusting to being a kid on land is difficult. Other kids don't act like sea lions. He misses the ocean and his adoptive family. His parents try to help, but Leo still feels empty. Finally, his parents move to a new home by the sea where Leo can live with both his sea lion family and his human one. Leo's tale is told with limited prose, relying heavily on the digital illustrations to convey the story. Readers will enjoy this method of visual storytelling, as bright colored images and careful use of white space separate elements of the story perfectly. The inclusive cast of human characters have large, round eyes full of cartoon charm which complements the endearing humor. Leo's story will resonate with anyone who has ever felt a bit out of place in the world and will reassure that life will be just fine. VERDICT A fine addition to picture book collections.—Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services
2018-04-25
This lighthearted tale of a child reared by sea lions is completely outlandish yet manages to capably address very real feelings about belonging and identity.Leo, a young, white, blond boy, is pictured flying out of a boat during a storm even before the title page; he's subsequently taken in by a family of sea lions. This looks like kid heaven—bodysurfing with sea lion pups, romping in a whale's spout, and sleeping under the stars—but Leo feels and looks "different," until he meets "a creature who looked like him." This creature, a young biracial, brown-skinned girl with hair in two ponytail puffs, really does look like him: They are both human. Once reunited with his human family, Leo is happy again, but as before, something is amiss. He still says "Ark! Ark!" and misses "his other family…and the sea." Not explicitly about transracial adoption or blended families, this is about a child longing to belong, and the simultaneous feelings of happiness and alienation here ring true. Vogel's stylized digital illustrations have an appealingly cartoonish look, with googly eyes on both humans and animals. Humorous scenarios (Leo sitting in a restaurant seafood tank; a sea lion in the bathtub with a gull on its head) visually portray the contrasts Leo feels. The happy ending, when Leo's human family moves to the seaside so people and sea creatures can live together, is perhaps unrealistically optimistic, but this is a story of a child raised by sea lions, after all. Far-fetched but satisfying. (Picture book. 3-6)
