Leona und Anna

BASIC INFO	LANGUAGE LEVEL	COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES
Book Title Leona und Anna Author(s) Theresa Marrama Illustrator(s) digitalhandart Other Contributors Julie Young, Melanie Bruyers (translators) Published by (Self-published) Genre Animal Story Publication date 2019 #Ownvoices N/A	From the author/publisher’s website Level Level 1 Total Word Count 2000	Illustrations                    YES  Glossary                          YES   Guiding Questions       NO   Context                            NO   Other

IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT		SYNOPSIS
Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities Cats Mice Languages spoken German Sex and Genders Male Female Ages Child Adults Social classes n/a	Sexual Orientation none referenced (Dis)Abilities and Neurotypes none referenced Religions, Syncretism, and Spirituality N/A Family and Relationship Structures Mother, father, and child Body Descriptions Mother and father described as “fat mice”	From the author/publisher’s website  Anna is different: a mouse that isn’t afraid of cats.  She lives in the Black Forest in Germany with her mom and dad.  But Anna is not happy.  She doesn’t have any friends.  And because her father fears she will get attacked by a cat, Anna is not allowed to play in the forest alone.  How will Anna be able to make friends?  Will she venture alone into the forest, against her father’s wishes?  Anna’s fearlessness could get her into trouble or…it could help her find friends! Our differences not only set us apart from others, but sometimes bring us together.

ILLUSTRATIONS	STORY	SOCIAL JUSTICE
To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? The illustrations show a cat and a mouse in a cartoonish style, as well as the parents of the mouse. The mouse’s father wears overalls and the mouse’s mother wears a dress.	We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text? No	This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose.  Does this text work toward goals within any of the four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Teaching Tolerance?  No

LLLAB’s REVIEW
Leona und Anna is a reader aimed at a level 1 course which shows a curious mouse named Anna who seeks to find a friend for herself. She defies her parents, ignoring their concerns about her safety, and goes into the forest, where she meets a cat who happens to be afraid of mice. They develop a friendship based on caring for one another. The book treats the topic of difference by showing that, while being different can sometimes be socially challenging, it can also help you connect with others. Leona (the cat) and Anna (the mouse) are both described as being “different” from other cats and mice (p. 2, 4): Leona is a cat afraid of mice, while Anna is a mouse unafraid of cats. Leona sometimes wishes she were more like other cats (p. 21), while also being aware that the other cats are not nice to her because she is “different.” After Anna defies her parents and plays in the woods, she brings Leona to her family, who come to accept her as a friend of Anna’s who is a cat. Anna’s father, who repeatedly expresses concern for Anna’s safety while playing in the woods (pp. 7, 17), is able to see that although Anna’s friendship with Leona seems unusual to him, Anna is safe with her new friend (p. 30). Anna’s parents realize that although they were worried about her being “different,” she is actually brave for seeing past the potential differences between her and Leona and forming a friendship (p. 29). Teachers may ask their readers if the father figure is really “strict,” as he is repeatedly described in the book (pp. 6, 8, 23), or if he is justifiably concerned for the safety of his child playing in the woods.  What do you think is the line between the adults in our lives being ‘strict’ vs being ‘protective’?  How might the “strictness” of the adults be different if Anna were older, or identified as a boy mouse?