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Special Delivery
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Special Delivery is an offbeat picture book by Caldecott-winning author Philip C. Stead that follows the adventures of a plucky young girl who wants to deliver an elephant to her great-aunt, "who could really use the company." The silly story is unconventional, the language is funny, and Matthew Cordell's detailed, expressive artwork is phenomenal. The fun begins on the cover with a nod to the most famous misprinted stamp, the Inverted Jenny (1918), and grows from there to Great Aunt J.'s expanding menagerie. This would be a great book to inspire kids to talk about stamp collecting, letter writing, and adventurous girls.
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What's the story?
Little red-haired Sadie is concerned that her Great Aunt J. might be lonely, so she decides to send her an elephant to keep her company. When she realizes mailing the pachyderm will take more than a wheelbarrow of stamps, she looks for other delivery options: a plane, an alligator, a train, and even an ice cream truck. This girl is determined! And, she has quite an adventure.
Is it any good?
Sadie's story is an offbeat adventure, the kind kids tend to love. The characters in SPECIAL DELIVERY are offbeat too, from the eccentric postman to the helpful alligator and the band of bandit monkeys to Great Aunt Josephine. The language is playful, and the ink-and-watercolor illustrations are comically fantastic, full of detail and expression. Readers with a sense of humor, a love of adventure, and an appreciation of quirky artwork and spunky little heroines will love this book.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about postage stamps. How many different stamps have you ever seen? Does anyone you know have a stamp collection? What did you think of the postage stamp on the cover before you read the story? Why do you think the author used an idea similar to the Inverted Jenny stamp on his cover?
What did you think when Sadie chose to send her letter in the end before she had her hot chocolate? What did that show you about the kind of person she is? Did you guess who she was writing to? How did the illustrator show you who received her letter?
What do you think about Sadie's idea of sending the elephant to keep her aunt company? What would you send if you wanted to cheer someone up? Who would you send it to? How would you get it there?
Book details
- Author: Philip C. Stead
- Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, Trains, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date: March 3, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 3 - 7
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.