Review by Booklist Review
Have you ever wondered what happens to a package after you drop it off at the post office? Here readers follow a box as it begins its journey in the usual manner--but then it takes a more roundabout path. A young Asian girl in New York City carefully nestles a gift in a cardboard box and takes it to be mailed. Lanan's watercolors chart the package's journey as it makes its way through the postal system, revealing behind-the-scenes glimpses into the huge "machines that tumble and separate, scan and measure, sort and route" boxes. But en route to the airport, a pothole causes the box to become airborne, and it ends up in a curbside puddle, left to sit, water-soaked and disheveled, until it's rescued by a Black mother and son. As the two prepare for a cross-country move, they include the errant present with their household items to ensure its safe delivery. Appealing illustrations portray the post office's credo "that neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night" will interfere with the package reaching its final destination. Colorful paintings feature details of two major cities and the various landscapes driven through on the trip west to San Francisco. New friendships are forged, and a long-distance one continues as the package's recipient prepares a box destined for New York City. A delightful tale.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ho's moving story uses less than 200 words--including part of the USPS motto, "neither snow,/ nor rain,/ nor heat,/ nor gloom of night"--to trace a package's journey across the United States. But the pictures depict far more than its trip: a parent and child's drive across the variable U.S. landscape, a long-distance relationship, and budding new friendships. Opening with a tan-skinned child in New York City carefully packing a box and taking it to the post office, the book devotes several spreads to detailing the postal processes the box undergoes before accidentally flying off a mail truck en route to the airport. It is found by a Black child and parent who, serendipitously, soon move to San Francisco, the package's destination. The richness of the tale lies in subtly textured watercolor illustrations by Lanan (The Fisherman & the Whale), which poignantly portray a broad range of settings, from gritty urban streets shimmering with rain to snow-swept terrains to a desolate gas station. An end note by Ho (Red Rover: Curiosity on Mars) contextualizes this homage to the USPS, where his immigrant father worked for more than 30 years, and urges readers to support the now-struggling agency. Ages 3--6. Author's agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt. Illustrator's agent: Ed Maxwell, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Mar.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--The journey of a package begins as a young girl assembles it with care. At the post office, it is processed and put on a truck; along the way it falls out and lays in the gutter, lost until found by a brown-skinned boy walking with his mother and dog. The boy and his mother care for the package, including it in their moving truck and traveling across country through all kinds of weather before arriving at their new home and the package's destination. Delivering the box results in a new friendship between two mothers and two boys. Realistic watercolors depict the two urban environments, while bedroom posters and a drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge on the package reveal the locations as New York City and San Francisco. Variations in perspective and careful pacing convey the tumult and loneliness of a package lost and found on an urban street while the parallel story narrates the boy and mother's serendipitous journey and move. VERDICT A solid purchase, and a touching story of friendship. An author's note provides a personal tribute to the USPS and mentions the impact of the coronavirus on the agency.--Ramarie Beaver, formerly at Plano P.L., TX
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lost package finally arrives where it was intended to go. An elementary-age New Yorker sends a gift to a friend in the Bay Area. Ho and Lanan skillfully describe and depict, respectively, the procedures of the U.S. Postal Service as the box begins to make its way to its destination. Alas, a pothole in the road to the airport causes the box to fall out of the truck. It lands in a puddle and is ignored until another kid finally spies it. Curious, the child picks it up, noting not only the recipient's address, but also a drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge that the sender inked on it. Luckily, the box's finder is moving to that place along with mom and dog! Guess what they'll personally deliver when they get there? So the USPS doesn't deliver the box, but this family does--and makes new friends. This sweetly simple, understated story is emotionally rich, a warm paean to the power of connections. Ho's text places the box as its protagonist, giving Lanan ample space to develop the story around it. Her delicate watercolor illustrations provide clues to both cities, though interpretation requires sharp eyes and some prior knowledge (or a helpful caregiver). Engaging perspectives and effective uses of type add drama. The box's sender and recipient both present Asian; the intervening kid and mom present Black. An afterword describes the author's family's moving connection to the U.S. Post Office. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 103% of actual size.) Quietly, beautifully told and deeply satisfying. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
