Have you ever bemoaned the price of stamps as you hauled a large package to the post office? Maybe it’s time to consider alternative methods of conveyance. Special Delivery has some exciting—if slightly unusual—suggestions.
A hefty mailing fee launches spirited Sadie on an adventure to surprise her lonely Great-Aunt Josephine with an elephant. Luckily, Sadie has an aviator’s helmet full of courage and creativity, and her elephant is equally bold. They hastily hop an ill-equipped airplane and follow an alligator tour guide. They tempt fate on a monkey-bandit-infested train, and an ice cream truck takes them the last leg of their journey.
Written by Caldecott-winning Philip C. Stead, Special Delivery will win the approval of little readers who wish for an outlandish story. Sadie’s voice provides most of the dialogue, and young adventurers will identify with her unruffled single-mindedness. Energetic illustrations by Matthew Cordell fill in the rest of the story and take the lead for a few full-color spreads.
With animal antics and lighthearted danger, Special Delivery is almost as much fun as, say, getting an elephant in the mail.
RELATED CONTENT: Stead and Cordell go Behind the Book for Special Delivery.
This article was originally published in the March 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
