  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 03/01/2012 Gr 2–4—Annie, first introduced to readers in Remembering Mrs. Rossi (Candlewick, 2007), lives with her dad in New York City and is now in fourth grade. Her new best friend, a floppy-haired puppy named Leo, is helping her cope with schoolwork, an icky boy, and a best friend who is moving away. She writes letters to him, and reads them to him at night. Through them, readers learn about her hopes and sorrows, many of which revolve around her widowed father. The epistolary format makes for easily manageable reading segments, good for those kids for whom reading is a struggle. Upbeat and chirpy, and decorated with lots of kid-style illustrations, Leo evokes empathy with a light touch.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 03/01/2012 In Hest’s Remembering Mrs. Rossi (2007), readers met Annie Rossi, who had just lost her mother. Now, a year later, the fourth-grader and her father are doing better, helped by the presence of their new dog, Leo. Taking a page from the Wimpy Kid sketchbook, Hest does a charming job making Annie (and Leo!) come alive through a series of letters and drawings she makes for the dog. Leo gets to hear about how Annie doesn’t care for her new teacher, how she loves her third-grade teacher, how poetry can make you feel surprising things, what it’s like to have a best friend move away, and how to deal with her dad, who doesn’t get out much (perhaps that third-grade teacher is the answer). Ready-made for reluctant readers, who will be enticed by the art-heavy format and the short bursts of text, this book will also be a good choice for fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine series or Megan McDonald’s Judy Moody books. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. Loading...
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