Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas

Leo and Ralph have been best friends since Ralph flew down from one of Jupiter's moons to join him on Earth. But when the family is set to move to a small country town, Mum and Dad think it's a perfect time to leave Ralph behind. How can he possibly say goodbye to his security blanket and can he make a real friend? The timeline of the story jumps around a little as the prologue introduces us to Leo as he says goodbye to Ralph and then goes back in time to when Leo was five and first met Ralph. It explains his failed attempts to make friends and his life with Ralph until Grade 3. The story normalises the idea of imaginary friends; Leo is even aware that he is the only one that can see Ralph and the people around him, while accommodating, acknowledge that Ralph is imaginary. 

Leo is a young boy with a HUGE imagination and a love of space. He has invented a whole world in the sky and enveloped himself in it to help him deal with how different he feels to all the other children he knows. 'As soon as Ralph arrived, school became less scary, the grown-ups stopped worrying and Leo had the friend of his dreams. He didn't want to go back to the way things were'. The story hints at Leo's neurodivergence. The teacher always has to repeat things because his mind is wandering, Leo speaks slowly and doesn't feel like the other children. He also feels physically different, speaking of himself as small and slow. An alien from outer space is exactly how he feels amonst his peers. 'He didn't know what game, or how many games were taking place. Couldn't grasp the phrases they shouted at each other...The playground is too busy, too fast'. His parents are calm and responsive and he is blessed with teachers who all support him despite all being very different. 

At the new school, it is Ralph who helps Leo make a new friend and helps Leo to realise that he no longer needs him. After all, he is the one helping himself, not really Ralph. This would make a great classroom read aloud and is perfect for putting in the hands of those children who feel different or who have trouble finding a sense of belonging and giving them hope that they too will find the perfect friend eventually. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Change, Belonging, Friendship.

Nicole Nelson