I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read. The characters were cute and the illustrations were bright and colorful. The story worked well and is relatable. I think kids will enjoy.

3.5

Leopold's Leotard is a fun and funny book about a boy who loves to dance...but doesn't always love the outfits he's supposed to dance in. Although the title may suggest that this book is in the same vein as Jacob's New Dress and other books about gender non-conforming boys, it actually sidesteps any discussion of the leotard as a gendered piece of clothing. Instead, the focus is on body comfort and Leopold's bold solution to a tight and uncomfortable uniform. The book's illustrations are light and airy, and they work as a perfect accompaniment for the hilarious story. This book will be a hit with young readers.

I was not expecting this. I was expecting something about it being okay for a boy to wear a leotard, and instead got a little boy who wants to dance free and naked. No big message here, just a fun story to share with others.

Leopold loves to dance. He dances everywhere and all the time. The illustrations are wonderful showing his joy in his face. His friends think nothing of his dancing at all. Leopold is taking dance class and is excited when he finds out about the recital, he is not excited about being a bee. The night arrives and between his uncomfortable costume and stage fright, Leopold makes a choice that is a bit questionable. Now my grandchildren thought it was funny and as long as they realize what he did is not something you should do, I am good with the humor. Leopold is definitely an uninhibited young boy, who thoroughly enjoyed his performance. The idea of finding what you love and doing it is a great message to everyone. The publisher gifted me a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

I thought this was a terrible book. I didn't see any point to it. It wasn't funny, didn't have a lesson, and if it had either then I couldn't figure it out

Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the digital advance reading copy of this book.

I love the ending of this book, Leopold is awesome! I wish I could be as inhibited as Leopold is during the recital, I also don't enjoy wearing a leotard.
The illustrations in this book are bright, fun, and colorful and they highlight the text wonderfully.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My kids and I LOVED this book. Seriously, how great is this?!
The illustrations are adorable. The storyline is great.
And I love that boys are being represented as dancers at a young age.

I'll definitely be looking out for other work by this author.

Not at all what I expected! I was expecting this book to be about how boys can wear dance leotards just like girls. This book instead tells the story of how Leopold hates his dance leotard. It is itchy and it doesn't let him be free. So, Leopold takes matters into his own hands. He strips off his dance leotard during the recital and dances fully naked.

I received an electronic ARC from Orca Book Publishers through NetGalley.
Charming story of being true to yourself. Leopold loves to dance but doesn't like the costume he has to wear for the end of the year recital. His nerves get the better of him and he does his own thing during the dance performance. In fact, he sheds his costume and does his own performance. Readers of all ages will appreciate the humor throughout. I love the message of being true to yourself and have certainly seen first hand how performers of this age do when on stage. However, I'm not fond of the way we see the other dancers were moved off to the side.

I loved this story! Just like a small child to have no inhibitions whatsoever. I had a good laugh over my own once small child running naked in inappropriate times. And, of course, she's witness the "Winnie-the-Pooh" of young children running near naked in just shirts! It never gets old! Funny tale will be appreciated by all. Illustrations were priceless!

Leopold has a great passion for the art of dance! He dances everywhere he goes which makes life a celebration. In Miss Linda's dance class he learns that the year-end recital is nearly here. He then learns that the class will be performing as buzzing bumble bees which doesn't sit well with Leopold. Maybe he'd be happy if he could be a killer bee or make a dramatic entrance out of giant hive but being just a plain old bumble bee doesn't excite him much.

Recital night arrives and the little bees file onto the stage lining up before a packed audience. Once the performance begins Leopold begins to feel restricted and uncomfortable in his headband, leotard and shoes and makes a decision to moult right there before the audience. Ahhhhh.... finally he becomes the imaginative dancer that he is created to be. Liberté au naturel.

"Leopold lands as gracefully as a bee on a flower." Vive la danse!

The illustrations are fantastic, colourful, expressive and fun. The book deals with themes of being true to self, bravery, endurance and passion. Leopold is an adorable, endearing little character that most kids can relate to. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

**Thank you to NetGalley, author Rihannon Wallace and illustrator Risa Hugo, and Orca Book Publishers for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

This story was...not what I was expecting.

Honestly, going into this, I was expecting the story to be about a boy who loves to dance, struggles with stage fright and the discomfort of his leotard (like the description says), but finds a solution to create a costume that makes him comfortable and successfully does the dance, which...I guess in a sense he does.

I WAS NOT EXPECTING HIM TO STRIP DOWN, NAKED, AND FINISH THE DANCE?! It did make me giggle, however unexpected it was.

All laughing aside, I do wish that the author would have taken the opportunity to talk about how male dancers do wear leotards and that is OKAY. This, I believe, would send a better message instead of Leopold feeling like he needed to strip off his costume in order to perform the dance.

There was decent representation of race throughout the story and the illustrations were unique. I like the sketched out effect they have with the light colors.

This was a cute, silly book that would be fun to read with children at home, but I am not sure it would be totally appropriate for storytime at a school or public library.

A child who loves to dance gives a performance to remember in this vibrant and fun story about feeling free and comfortable in your own skin. The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful with dance steps included, and I love a book that gets a child to move with it. I appreciate the diverse representation of the children in the book. My only reservations are with the disclaimers in the back, I don't see a lot of books for children with this type of explanation and I'm not entirely sure it is necessary. However, it is at the end of the book and doesn't impact the outcome at all, so I still give it a five star rating for beautiful illustrations and a great story that we enjoyed thoroughly.

Thanks to Orca Book Publishers & NetGalley for this review copy of Leopold's Leotard by Rihannon Wallace, illustrated by Risa Hugo.

Hilarious and not the ending I was expecting at all. Read this with your toddlers and be sure to talk about Leopold's choices (as well as the choices you yourself could/should make). I'm fully here for realistic picture books that remind us kids have minds of their own.

This little book was not what I expected!! Leo just wants to dance. This book shows that boys can dance but also, that you can be yourself and do what makes you happy.

Rather than working through his issues with the leotard and shoes, Leopold just removes everything and performs naked. I liked how they had a boy dancing ballet in a positive way, but I think the nakedness instead of discussing that ballerinos wear leotards too would have sent a better message,

Leopold's Leotard by Rihannon Wallace, ills. Risa Hugo details the adventures of a little boy, Leopold, who loves to dance. He dances everywhere he goes and his joy in doing what he loves shines through in the beautiful illustrations.

I have to admit that I would have preferred the ending to be different, I can not endorse how he dealt with the uncomfortable leotard during his dance recital, However, this book has an important message that interests do not need to be gender specific. The themes of being true to yourself, bravery and endurance are apparent in Leopold’s experiences. The text was charming and held the interest of my almost four year,

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Orca Book Publishing in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

A hilariously fun book! A fun story about a little boy who just wants to express himself through dance. The artwork was gorgeous and the story was really funny and sweet!

A very sweet book about a boy who loves to dance! Children will enjoy the simple yet engaging story and the charming illustrations. I appreciated that this wasn't about a boy who was rebelling against gender stereotypes to be a dancer, just about a boy who loves to dance!