This was a really enjoyable read, so light hearted, natural, reflective of life. I love them both, in equal measure. It is uplifting and so great to read books that want to pick us up rather than send us into the depths of depression. I loved the author’s use of language. It was like a hug at times. I’d definitely recommend.

Students will love this book about Florence & Leon. Florence and Leon support our curriculum changes to incorporate more people with disabilities to help our students embrace and accept everyone's differences.

This book is clearly a translation. It felt very French even before I saw the name of the author. So I get the sense that a lot got lost in the translation. It's a quiet, simple story of two people with disabilities falling for each other and accepting each other for who they are, but the tone is very adult, not in a way that would make it inappropriate for children, but rather in its sensibilities.

Precious story that explains disabilities to kids in an easy to understand manner. I loved the illustrations as well, so cute.

Florence & Leon is a picturebook written by Simon Boulerice, illustrated by Delphie Cote-Lacroix, and translated into English by Liz Kemp. Florence and Leon have never met. Florence is a swimming instructor. She has a small problem with her lungs: it's as if she's breathing through a straw. Leon is an insurance salesman. He has a small problem with his eyes: it's as if he's seeing the world through a straw. One day Florence and Leon bump into each other, literally, and this mishap turns their lives upside down. Over slushy drinks with proper straws, Florence and Leon find out how their differences make them alike.

Florence & Leon is a picturebook that I think would be best suited for slightly older readers than the typical picturebook. I enjoyed getting to know Florence and Leon as they got to know each other, and learning about the challenges they both faced growing up, and the ones they still face as adults. I enjoyed learning about how they deal with their problems, and have found ways to live fully and be happy. The artwork is beautifully done in watercolors and pencils, with some digital editing. It helps readers connect with the characters and become fully engaged in the story. It is also lovely to look at and enjoy on its own. This is a sweet story of friendship, and maybe love, as two people discover that it is their differences that make them both so much the same, and perfect partners.

'Florence & Leon' by Simon Boulerice with translation by Sophie B. Watson with illustrations by Sophie B. Watson is about a pair of strangers who meet over drinks with straws and learn about each other.

When Florence was little, she liked to swim and drink out of curly straws. When Leon was little, he liked to play soccer and drink out of really long straws. That was a long time ago. Now they are grown and Florence has a lung problem and Leon has a vision problem. They meet (over drinks with straws) and learn about the things that are different about them and the things they have in common.

This was a really sweet story. I don't know how interesting the story might be to children, but I found it charming. I liked the illustrations. And yes, all the straws mean something for the story.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Orca Book Publishersand NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I really enjoyed this one but my kids didn't. The subject matter was presented in a mature way that perhaps is a cultural difference from the authors original intended audience.

A cute, sweet love story about two people with physical disabilities. Florence has trouble breathing and Leon has trouble seeing. They fall for each other and work to understand the other person's point of view. Some elements of the story seemed misplaced for the intended audience and a bit rushed, but the charming illustrations help carry the story.

Florence & Leon is a picture book romance for adults. From meet cute to forever in the span of a few pages, the couple explores their honest relationship through the lens of what they deem "handicaps" and the history that has shaped them into the adults they currently are.

While not for me, this title is well done and the illustrations are lovely.

We first glimpse Florence and Leon as children; Florence is a gifted swimmer and Leon is a gangly soccer player. After their practices, they are each treated to a drink with a straw.

They meet as adults when Florence plows into Leon; she discovers he is nearly blind and confesses she has lung issues. They meet at a cafe later that day and linger over their drinks, sharing stories from their childhood, both positive and negative.

The illustrations are simple but still draw you in. I appreciated the practical ways they have for communicating how it is to live their life with sight and breathing difficulties (a straw is used in both scenarios to limit sight and breath). My only criticism is wondering how well it will translate to its intended audience; it's listed as 5-10 years, but the younger set would need more assistance keeping up with the vocabulary, although I appreciate giving children concrete ways to understand what it would be like to breathe or see in limited capacities.

This story is odd. The idea is nice, but the way it's written feels flat. The illustrations are cute and the best part of the book. If it was less wordy and had more illustrations, I might find it more appealing.

“Florence & Leon” was totally and completely beautiful. I loved it. Honestly, I think adults will enjoy it more than children, even though it is a picture book.

This one felt like a picture book for grown ups. It was a story about how a couple met but I never really connected to the story.

This story is so sugary sweet that I expect it to be a Disney animated short with lots of awards after it’s title. This is a picture book for adults, about two people who find each other at just the right time. Simply lovely.

If you're looking for a sweet romance, it's a perfect choice!
You can give it as present to your hopeless romantic friend, or to your friend who loves shabby-chic illustrations.
I love the story, how a simple hello can lead to a sweet love story.

Detailing the life of Leon, a nearly blind insurance agent, and Florence, a swimming instructor with under-developed lungs, Florence & Leon literally bump into one another and strike up a friendship. They collide on the street and then decide to meet up later for juices.

The premise of the story is great: two people are upfront and honest about their disabilities even before knowing each other’s names, then they meet up and move into a budding friendship. However, the premise plays out too quickly, and by the end they are planning to be each other’s “eyes” and “ears” forever. They just met! If this were an adult novel and the intricacies of their minds were fleshed out and characterized, that would be understandable; yet, as a children’s book this is too quick and I feel not understandable.

I wouldn’t read this book with my child, but I did very much enjoy the illustrations.

This is a sweet little book about two people realizing that their different disabilities have a lot in common. Has a happy ending and invokes empathy.

I adore this book! It is a sweet story about two people connecting over the physical disabilities that make them a little different than the people around them.

Florence & Leon use a straw illustration to simply explain their disabilities to each other- perfect for children to get an idea as well.

Florence and Leon offer to help each other, their strengths complementing. I would highly recommend this book for classrooms or parents teaching empathy.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this story early!

How long does it take to fall in love? 32 pages!
What a delightful and intimate story of two very different people who meet unexpectedly with a "bump".
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book was originally written in French and want to read it in that language as well.
This would make a wonderful gift for a sweetheart.

Boy, I've been going through a real shit storm - in real life (Easter seems to have hit me with a lot of eggs where it hurts the most) and also with books, but this was like a shooting star with the perfect wish come true.

In fact, I wish I could rate it with all the stars in the literary sky.

I don't know what this was but I WANT MORE. Every day. In fact, I think The New Yorker should commission Simon and Delphie to create similar dating scenes for adults on a weekly basis.

This is real art, in my opinion. And new, in a literary world where nothing is new anymore.

You read and you look and you can't believe your luck of getting this in your hands!

I'm usually a really critical reader - I go through tens of shorts and at least a few books a week, throwing out most that I start due to lack of soul, storyline, empathy, spirit etc. I need substance. I crave LOVE, I mingle amongst fictional characters, I feed on plots that go places I can't go in my physical world. And Florence and Leon was something out of this world.

It is so simple. And so true.

It is not, but also, it so IS for children. If I had a teenager at home right now I would give him/her this as a V-day gift!

I so hope this becomes a series. Not only made my day but gave me hope that there are real artists out there who create from their hearts and souls beautiful, meaningful and entertaining things.