"Leo is the mailman of a little old town," begins this charming tale of old-fashioned friendship.
Sergio Ruzzier (Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?) pictures a rural village of rolling hills and red-tile rooftops that hints at Italy. Leo, a ferret-like fellow, sports a dapper blue cap and leather satchel as he carries "big boxes, small packets, envelopes of every size," including a bone-size package that brings a pooch running and a box that lures a fish to the stream's edge. Leo removes his cap for the occasional game of bocce or conversation. If only Leo would get a letter himself! One morning during a postal pick-up, Leo finds a small blue bird he names Cheep. He feeds the bird and gives him shelter. Ruzzier indicates the passage of time with changing leaves and falling snow. One of the most charming scenes depicts Leo and Cheep ("now a little family") building a snowman (Cheep affixes bird leg–shaped twigs at the base).
When spring arrives, the look on Leo's face indicates that he knows before Cheep does what comes next: "Cheep is a big little bird now, and he is ready to go." The walls of Leo's kitchen seem bluer now. Cheep only ever says one word ("Cheep"), yet Ruzzier's expressive watercolors convey the connection between these two friends. Leo holds his cap as Cheep waves goodbye from the sky; the blue of his cap matches Cheep's feathers and underscores their unspoken bond--a bond that the closing images attest will last. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness