Leo and Ralph

This is one of those thoughtful and special books that could easily get overlooked but holds a wealth of wisdom and heart between its covers.

Leo is a quiet, reflective boy, small in stature and for whom social interactions do not come easily. He is obsessed by space and aliens and lives in his imagination. None of his classmates have the patience to give him time to express himself so Leo is always at the edges of playtime feeling lonely as he does not have a friend to play his kind of imaginative games.

His loving and sensitive family along with his younger sister, Peg all encourage Leo to make friends, but nothing seems to work and even they begin to worry.  One day Leo spots a white balloon caught in a tree and after untangling it and setting it free he goes back to his room to discover a shaggy creature with flappy ears and stubby horns waiting for him.  Ralph has come down from planet Ralphora to befriend Leo.  The two quickly become inseparable; looking at the stars through a telescope, making up brilliant games and telling each other funny stories about aliens.   Leo doesn’t need to try and make friends at school now he has Ralph, even though no-one else can see Ralph.

As Leo grows older his parents decide to move to a small town in the country and make a fresh start.  It is time for Leo to say goodbye to Ralph and make some new friends. But all his old anxieties return, and Leo rebuffs any attempts at friendship so inevitably Ralph appears again to help him. There is another boy Gus who seems a bit awkward too and carries around a football wherever he goes.  When it is lost, it is Leo who finds it up a tree and so begins their tentative friendship.   Leo is now ready to say goodbye to his imaginary friend for good.

This is a charming story, beautifully written and told with great delicacy and sensitivity. Leo and his warm-hearted family feel very real, and Leo’s insecurities are handled in a thoughtful and compassionate manner.  It is a story that will stay with you long after you have reached the end.