BOOK REVIEW - The Jolly Postman

The other day, my son, Michael, called from a bookstore. He was there with Ashley, his girlfriend, and he wanted to show her one of his favorite childhood books. But, he couldn't remember the name. As he described it to me, I went and picked in up off of the book shelf, where I've kept a good majority of the kids' books I've collected over the years. It was a joy to sit there and look through this book. I'd love to share it with you.

The book is called "The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters" by Janet & Allan Ahlberg. I believe it was published in London. This book is written in rhyme. It's about a postman who delivers letters and packages to characters from popular fairy tales: the three bears, the witch in the gingerbread house, the giant at the top of the beanstalk, Cinderella, the big bad wolf, and Goldilocks. The fun thing about this book is that each time the postman delivers something, the next page is an envelope that is addressed (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Bear, Three Bears Cottage, The Woods) and when you turn that page, you can reach inside the envelope and take out the letter (or whatever is inside) and read it. So, for example, the witch receives an advertisement - Hobgoblin Supplies Ltd. Everything for the modern witch. The page is covered with ads for witch supplies. Goldilocks receives a birthday card from Mrs. Bunting and Baby. It is so charming! I really love books that you can interact with and this one is probably one of the first of it's kind. Imagine how excited we all were when Santa brought another "Postman" book, this one called "The Jolly Christmas Postman". The envelopes in this book have even cooler surprises - puzzles, games, books, and cards.

These books are still available for purchase and I know your kids will love them. Obviously they made an impression on Michael! :-) Here's what they look like:



One of the best things about keeping books and other things from childhood is the memories that come crashing all around you when you look at these things. I can almost remember what the kids' hands looked like when they would pull out one of the surprises from these books. I can almost remember their sweet little voices. And I can't wait to share these books with grandkids! There's nothing quite like a good book to share!