Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Day and Edens make hay with this sequel to The Christmas We Moved to the Barn. Taffy MacDonald heads a family of 17 two daughters plus a pony, pig, dogs, cats and other assorted creatures, all of them sharing quarters in a barn (the picture of everyone sitting down to eat at a very long table is quintessential Day in its blend of realism and whimsy). When the postman retires, Taffy gets his job delivering the mail in the valley, and the whole family pitches in. Wordless spreads show the preparations: Taffy fits a mailbag onto the pony, a girl teaches a donkey how to alphabetize while her sister reads a book marked “Door to door and so much more” to an attentive dog and cat as other animals practice canceling stamps. The illustration of the multi-species carriers on their first day of the job has special charm somehow Day makes her mail-bearing cockatiel and parrot, her cart-pulling dog and the rest seem perfectly plausible in their roles. The story twists as Taffy’s daughters realize that some people on their route never get any mail; to rectify that situation, they join with the animals and Taffy to prepare the “special deliveries” of the title. Beguilingly and deceptively straightforward, this volume offers imaginative pleasures at every turn. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-The family from The Christmas We Moved to the Barn (HarperCollins, 1997) is back. The book opens before the title page with two letters. One is from the postman who services their rural district, telling them that he is retiring. In the other, Taffy applies for the position, having decided that she, her daughters, and their vast menagerie would be ideal for the position. They get the job, and a few wordless double-page spreads show humans and animals studying zip codes and practicing their alphabetizing. Once they all begin delivering the mail, with the animals carrying postbags and piling on top of one another to put mail in postboxes, it occurs to the girls that some people don’t get any mail at all. They decide to write to those folks, and become acquainted with lots of interesting people. This book has many elements that children will enjoy: letters and postcards and invitations to read; beautifully rendered watercolors of the animals and children, including a portrait gallery with names on the front endpaper; and a simple, sometimes wordless story that gives readers a chance to study the pictures and make their own conclusions.
Holly Belli, Bergen County Cooperative Library System, West Caldwell, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Holly Belli, Bergen County Cooperative Library System, West Caldwell, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 2-5. Writing with Edens, Day offers another picture book about animals (think Carl the rottweiler) and art that takes off and runs with the plot. Taffy MacDonald delivers the mail to her rural community. She enlists the help of her two daughters, but she also enlists a veritable menagerie of pet helpers. The cockatiel and the parrot deliver airmail, of course; the pony and goat carry letters in saddlebags; the small pup pulls a little mail wagon; pygmy pigs, the cat, even a llama do their part as well. As the route becomes familiar, the family discovers neighbors who don’t receive mail, and being energetic, thoughtful, and industrious, they all pitch in to remedy the situation. Soon everyone on the route receives mail, not just letters but also cookies, candies, artwork, even a kitten. Concluding with a tea party, complete with die-cut invitation tucked into the spine, this imaginative, funny book is alive with great pictures, ingenious activity, and a sense of caring outreach. A delightful book, not to be missed. Ellen Mandel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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