Leo the Lop Book

Leo, the bunny with drooping ears, decides that his ears should point up instead of down. Through his efforts, and the hijinx of the group, he discovers that normal is whatever you are.

The illustrator of Leo the Lop is Robin James. The cover art for the book shows a soft brown bunny closing his eyes to enjoy the smell of a flower. This shows Leo as a kind and thoughtful creature.

The illustrations are in the cartoon style. When each image is looked at, the reader will pay more attention to the character's actions than to examining the characters themselves. An example of this is the image of Leo trying to get his ears to stand up. You can see the strain in his face as he works to move his ears. Another example is the image of the bunnies laughing. They are in a pile, rolling in the grass, holding their bellies. You can clearly see the mirth in each bunny.

The illustrator appears to have used water color paint. The colors are soft which gives the images a traditional feel. The cartoon style provides the bunnies with large, luminous eyes and the forest with green grass and plants for the bunnies to play in. The forest feels close and safe, which would appeal to children. They would imagine life as a bunny to be secure and fun.

The bunnies are illustrated as individuals, each with different coloring. The forest is detailed, showing plants, flowers, trees and birds. These elements allow the reader to feel like they are in the forest with the bunnies.

The main character is a bunny named Leo the Lop. Leo is the only bunny in his part of the forest with ears that droop instead of standing up. In his innocence, he is perfectly unaware of how different he looks until the other bunnies start to laugh at him. Leo has a soft heart and finds that their laughter is hurtful. However, he is determined to make things right. He is resourceful, and comes up with plans to teach his ears which way to go. When the possum finds that he looked funnier with ears going up, Leo listens attentively and thinks about what the possum said. His sense of humor kicks in as he realizes that the other bunnies may be the ones with ears that go the wrong way. Leo is sensible. After realizing that the ears will go where they want to, he concludes that all their ears are normal just the way they are.

The story is set in the warm, gentle corner of a soft, green forest. It gives a realistic setting to show a day in the life of a bunny. The forest provides the tools with which the rabbits try to change their appearance. They use tree branches to hang from and rocks to tie down their ears as well. The forest also provides the wise possum. The narrative doesn't discuss the setting as much as the illustrations show it. They provide images of a lovely, peaceful forest and bunnies that are different colors. Children would enjoy the safety of a forest that allows bunnies to explore and have fun.

The story is written in third person. It is written with vocabulary that would be easy for children to understand. There is a comical lilt to much of the narrative while it remains direct and simple. The dialogue in the story sounds like normal children's speech, which makes the characters relatable.

The prevailing theme is that our differences are what make us unique, and that there really is no normal. We are each as we were intended to be and we should accept all people as they are.

I have an original edition from 1977 from my childhood. This was a much loved book in our family. I find the story to be well written, with fluid transitions from one part of the story to the next. The silliness of trying to look like everyone else comes across in such direct fashion that it isn't to be ignored. Sometimes we over-complicate concepts like acceptance, when it truly is quite simple. This would be a good addition to a library accessed by children. It would be particularly good for schools or classes that include students with special needs or students from other countries and cultures. It would provide a vehicle to promote acceptance of differences in appearance, culture, or custom.