Leo + Lea

About this book

One

boy

loves numbers.

Everywhere he looks

he sees things to count.

His classmates don't understand counting as he does.

A new girl loves patterns.

Could she be

a friend

for

Leo?

This beautiful friendship story, inspired by the Fibonacci sequence and cleverly constructed using its mathematical pattern, celebrates our differences, as well as how math connects us to one another.

Young readers will love counting the number of words per page and discovering how they echo the Fibonacci Sequence, a mathematical series in which each number is the sum of the previous two: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on to infinity! Text and art are masterfully conceived and constructed to reflect Leo's love of numbers. Even the color scheme in the striking illustrations follows a mathematical progression, bringing an underlying order and tranquility to the story. The mesmerizing symmetry of this fascinating and compulsively playable game of addition can also be found in the natural world and is an intriguing metaphor for the interconnectedness of all things.

Reviews

Praise for Leo + Lea:

"A warm portrayal of a friendship sparked by an unexpected connection . . . the mathematical wonder is creatively incorporated." - Kirkus Reviews

"Math and art combine for a portrait of blossoming friendship in this picture book infused with layers of Fibonacci numbers. . . . Pak's primarily digital renderings work in harmony . . . [and] frequently radiate pastel hues. It all adds up to an inventive, affecting story." - Publishers Weekly