special delivery

The days of sending physical letters in the mail are almost done (if not gone already), but I still wax nostalgic for “real mail.” It might have something to do with all of those international pen pals I kept in touch with as a preteen, and definitely has something to do with The Jolly Postman, still one of my favorite picture books ever. When I saw a picture book with a postage stamp cover, I had to take a look. I could keep Philip C. Stead’s Special Delivery on my coffee table forever, if only for Matthew Cordell’s fantastic illustrations.

Sadie is on her way to deliver an elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine, who lives completely alone and can really use the company. She tries everything from mailing the elephant to boarding a plane, a train, and an alligator to get to her aunt's home. Along the way she meets an array of interesting characters, including an odd postal worker and a gang of bandit monkeys, who all help her get where she is going. This eccentric and hilarious story from Philip C. Stead, the author of the Caldecott-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee and illustrator Matthew Cordell will surprise and entertain from beginning to end.

Sadie is determined to send her Great-Aunt Josephine an elephant, to alleviate her loneliness (of course! what a thoughtful grand-niece…). She first tries to send the elephant by post, but the amount of stamps needed more than fill a wheelbarrow – that won’t work! Sadie soon takes matters into her own (creative) hands, and she and the elephant travel far and wide by plane, train and ice cream truck, meeting many interesting creatures and characters along the way. 

In Special Delivery, Stead has created an outlandish adventure that will appeal to animal lovers and travelers alike. The narrative is a bit disjointed in parts, as Sadie and her elephant jump from one unlikely scenario to another. Some transitions and conversations are left to the imagination. That said, Stead’s story tickles the imagination, and will likely prompt the telling of other tall tales among its readers.  It’s inspirational like that.

The real star of this book? Matthew Cordell’s illustrations. They have a deliciously old-fashioned feel, in a style that reminded me of Bill Peet.  Sadie is the main (human) character, but I found myself looking at the animals on each page first – their expressions as they have these unusual adventures are hilarious and spot-on. Other fun details in the art: Words made out of train smoke, stamps upon stamps, and the unexpected reunion scene at the end, when the reader finally learns the “real” story.

Special Delivery does what the best picture books do so well: it inspires imagination and creativity, while telling a silly story that will spark questions and laughter. It may not have been my exact cup of tea, but it’s sure to become the favorite book of many children this year.

Recommended for: young readers, and parents/teachers/interested adults looking for books that will speak to an adventurous spirit.

Fine print: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for review consideration.  I did not receive any compensation for this post.

the jolly postman

Alyce at At Home with Books is doing a weekly feature where she highlights one of her favorite reads from the past and encourages others to do so as well.

I have a thing for mail. Post. Correo. Whatever you call it, I love it. I embraced the internet shopping phenomenon because it meant getting packages in the mail. I seriously get a rush when I see the mail truck or UPS truck pull up. I keep stamps and extra postcards in my notebook. Weird? Possibly. Probably.

When I was younger I had over thirty pen-pals from all over the world. I spent exorbitant amounts of money on postage, and always waited eagerly for the next missive from Norway, the Czech Republic, Madagascar or whatever other corner of the world I’d been writing to. We’d exchange elaborate ‘friendship books’ with addresses from all over. I adored my pen-pals, though I think I must have been a very boring correspondent. I eventually gave them up right before college – after all, I was off on a grand adventure (real life!).

But…I trace it (the obsession with mail) back to a childhood favorite: The Jolly Postman. The Jolly Postman and its companion picture books The Jolly Pocket Postman and The Jolly Christmas Postman were gifts from my grandmother to the family at large. They’re beautifully illustrated stories, but more than that, they’re interactive. The basic idea is that as Mr. Jolly Postman makes his rounds he drops off letters – and all of this mail is there to read in envelope-sized pockets attached to the pages. It’s charming and fun, and if you’re reading to more than one child at a time, sometimes a bit of a nightmare too. I remember wanting all of the envelopes TO MYSELF as a child. Well, I still do, but you know, we’ll forget that for now. Sharing is key. *smile*

Anyway, back to Mr. Jolly P. I believe that this book, along with another favorite, A Christmas Card for Mr. McFizz, were the beginnings of my obsession with correspondence. I’m a letter-writer, and more recently a postcard-sender. I have stacks of stationery because I actually use it. Of course, these early reading experiences with the epistolary style were shaped by other encounters with letter-type literature as I grew older. The Screwtape Letters made its mark at age 14, and all of Austen’s novels contain letters. The Diary of Anne Frank is a sort of series of letters. But letters in literature aren’t QUITE as awesome as letters or mail in fact.

And that’s where The Jolly Postman comes in – a perfect marriage of the two. It’s a book, and a highly enjoyable one at that. It’s also packaged as MAIL, with postcards and pamphlets and everything. I know I’m just a little kid at heart – because I love that. And speaking of mail…all this talk is making me antsy. I think I might go write some Christmas cards…

This British import is great fun, sure to entertain children and parents alike. The Jolly Postman goes from home to home in a fairy-tale kingdom, delivering letters to such familiar addresses as "Mr. and Mrs. Bear, Three Bears Cottage, The Woods." Every other page is an actual envelope, with a letter tucked inside. The letter to the three bears, for instance, is from Goldilocks, who apologizes for the trouble she's caused and invites Baby Bear to her birthday party.

The story of the postman's travels is told in charming verse; the pictures are delightful, full of clever detail; and the results are frequently hilarious. (The wicked witch of "Hansel and Gretel" fame, for instance, receives a circular from Hobgoblin Supplies Ltd. which advertises such appealing products as Little Boy Pie Mix.)

Recommended for: picture book lovers, kids, kids-at-heart, and other (fellow) post fanatics. Are you out there?