What people are saying. . .

McQuinn and Hearson display their magically innate touch for capturing those vital early learning, shared experiences. In turn, they celebrate the importance of family closeness, creating moments that will stay with us forever.
– Matthew Tobin,
Senior Lecturer in Children's Literature,
Oxford Brookes University
  • This latest Zeki story is so full of joy from the front cover illustration right through to Ruth Hearson’s final scene showing a blissfully slumbering infant being carried home on the back of his smiling father after their wonderful day together.

  • As they explore the great outdoors Zeki notices small details such as a tiny falling leaf, crisp footprints left by a bird in the squelchy mud beside the water, a delicate feather and a bumpy pine cone: what lovely rich descriptive language Anna uses in her verbal pictures of these natural objects and the others mentioned.
    It’s great to see both father and son being excited by the natural world, as well as spending quality time in each other’s company.
  • Spending time in the company of Zeki and his family is always a delight for small children and their adult sharers; both audiences will surely cherish this shared time too.

    Like all the others in the series, this book deserves to be part of the early experiences of every toddler. It’s pitch perfect for encouraging talk and new learning.

    – Jill Bennett, The RedReading Hub
This short and sweet book gives wonderful examples to kids about things they would see on a hike. Adults tend to see the big things, but little Leo notices small things with texture.
My 6 month old son, who is starting to focus on little details in books, enjoyed zoning in on the little details in the illustrations.
Cute, simple story to teach about nature and keeping our eyes open for little things.
– Alyssa Amey Madjeski on Goodreads
I love the “Lola” books but hadn’t gotten a chance to read Leo’s! This was a fun short board book that captured the feeling of a refreshing nature walk with someone you love. I especially love all of the descriptive words added in. They build vocabulary without being too heavy-handed about it.
– Rainy Day Reader on Goodreads
Leo is an adorable young preschooler who experiences an enjoyable hiking adventure with his father. As the story begins the two are indoors gathering materials they will need for their adventure. As they proceed with their hike through the remaining pages there are beautiful nature scenes.
The illustrations are bright, realistic, and perfectly suited for young children. It is easy to identify Leo and his father’s feelings from the facial expressions that are illustrated throughout their hike. These feelings include; excitement, happiness, awe, pleasure, curiosity, and tiredness.
Throughout this eighteen page board book the author has written descriptive sentences to describe the things Leo and his father see, touch, hear, and taste.
This story could be beneficial for children up to four- years- old. It is suitable for reading during story time at the library, in a preschool classroom, or for parents to read to their young children at home... It could also be used as a talking point for how the characters feel as they enjoy a hike and expand children’s curiosity about their natural environment.
– Children's Literature
We like to include Goodreads and Amazon reviews as these are people who've not been sent review copies and just post for the love of the books!

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