A review by circleofreadersdruid
Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski

5.0

I wanted to read Henry & Leo because I adored The Whisper, and I was not disappointed. When I was a very small child, I had a much beloved monkey that sucked his own thumb. Thumby (yeah, yeah, I know) was accidentally left at a hotel and there was much weeping. The hotel staff shipped him to our house, bless their hearts, and the world went on revolving around the sun. This book is for everyone like me, who lost a favorite toy that wasn't just a toy, and was reunited. I just wanted to hug the book when I finished it.

The illustrations are amazing. I had wondered about the crowns and stumbled across this explanation in the Q&A section:

I have noticed many questions about the crowns in Henry and Leo.
There is in fact a method to my madness. I imagined "Henry and Leo" much like a dream. Our dreams are both "real" and "unreal" simultaneously.
What if the entire story from start to finish is Henry's dream? Or perhaps we assume just the middle lush woods section where Leo comes to life is Henry's dream. What is real? We make so many assumptions about what we know to be true. In dreams we unconsciously combine elements of our daily outer life experiences with our inner imagined life. If you look closely- everyone wears a different crown...The Bear has the same crown as the Father. (The Father carries Henry home on his shoulders and the Bear carries Leo home.) The mother and the fox have the same crown. The sister with her ponytails and the rabbit have the same crown. Henry has the same crown as Leo, but Leo only wears the crown in the woods alone - because Leo is in fact Henry. It is very subtle I understand that...but I want people to question and wonder. But for me it was all about bringing elements of family walking in the woods into Henry's dream. Henry's other toys also mirror the animals chosen in the woods. Leo's life comes from Henry's love. For me crowns represent the "spirit of things" - the higher power in things and so yes-I often use crowns. Hope this helps! Pamela Zagarenski

All in all, a completely satisfying picture book!