4You've probably heard the old saying, "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, then it's meant to be." This can be true of any special love relationship, including friendship. It may be especially true for the friendship found between people and animals! Author Cornell Bunting's Leslie Plover is an enchanting children's chapter book about just this kind of special love and friendship. The book you are now holding shares the tender and heartwarming story of Liliana, a nine-year-old girl who, on one fateful visit to the beach with her parents, meets a special, black-bellied plover bird who drops a yellow rose at her feet in the sand to say hello. Liliana names her new friend "Leslie." Leslie's simple act of kindness begins a friendship that spans the shores of both America and Europe, over several seasons and countries. When Leslie Plover first flies away, Liliana is heartbroken, but remains hopeful that she will meet her new friend, whom she loves very much, once again. Her hope, love, and belief leads Liliana to build a nice home for her friend, so that he might stay with her if he can find his way back across the ocean. Can Liliana and Leslie's friendship survive a great distance? If so, will Leslie come to start a new life with Lilliana and her family? Can the love that brought these two together be a bond that remains forever? Young and old readers alike will find that the magic of love is a powerful force, and, like Leslie Plover's fine-feathered wings, travels far and wide.