Book Review: Leo The Littlest Seahorse by Margaret Wild and Terry Denton

Leo The Littlest Seahorse is one of those picture books that has a great message for parents reading it to their children. It is written by Margaret Wild and has the most brilliant illustrations by Terry Denton. As I read the story of little Leo, as he tries hard to learn the skills that he will need to stay alive in the big underwater world, it reminded me to acknowledge that little ones can develop at different rates and have different strengths to offer.

Denton’s illustrations of the coral in which the sea horses habitat have spectacular use of colour. Even as an adult I found the pictures quite mesmerising and we spent significant time on each page studying them and looking at all the less obvious details. A fish hidden at the bottom, a snail climbing, working out if there was a creature in the coral, or was that shape just the coral.

The use of Seahorses as the main characters allows for children to explore a different family dynamic, with it being the father who has the babies and the mother who supports him through this process. Once born then it is both mum and dad who parent the babies and showing them what they need to learn. (At the end of the book there

Leo The Littlest Seahorse is a warm and endearing story, showing that sometimes the littlest ones just need more time to flourish.

Details – Leo The Littlest Seahorse by Margaret Wild and Terry Denton

Published: 2 August 2010
Format: Hardback , 36 pages
RRP: $24.95
ISBN-13: 9780670073559
Imprint: Viking
Publisher: Penguin Aus.
Origin: Australia
Categories: Picture Storybooks

Planning With Kids received Leo The Littlest Seahorse courtesy of Penguin Australia.