Special delivery A book's journey around the world

While young Jay, portrayed with brown skin, counts the sleeps until his next birthday, workers help transport a volume--sharing this picture book's cover--across the globe. The item's trip begins at a factory, where it is "packed into a box by Cherry, moved along a belt into a crate, and lifted... into the container on Han's truck," Faber writes. Others, such as a gantry crane operator named Chi Wan, a container ship captain called Flip, and a warehouse scanner named Hannah, do their part, until Jay's white-presenting grandmother buys the volume at Pip's bookstore in anticipation of the big day. By relying on the specific names of workers, who are portrayed with varying skin tones, assonant lines lend intimacy to what's typically a faceless process. Geometric scenes by Fahlén take place beneath blue skies, brightly spotlighting the process that results in books on readers' shelves. A twist at the end fittingly drives home the message that people are at the heart of any "special delivery." Statistics conclude. Ages 2--5. (Apr.)

This book goes on a journey. Using simplified explanations, readers trace a book called Special Delivery as it travels from an overseas factory. It's Jay's birthday in a little over a month, but the story immediately pivots away from the cheerful, brown-skinned child who has an interest in robots, guitar, and all manner of transportation. The real story starts in a sunlit factory surrounded by trees, with Chinese characters on signs and solar panels on the roof, while smiling people work on an assembly line, pack crates of books onto a truck, and deliver them to a dock to be loaded on a container ship. Many of the diverse workers throughout are named and individualized, personalizing these often opaque systems and subtly teaching children about everything from jobs to international trade networks. Bright, blocky illustrations depict a wide variety of heavy machinery, sure to enthrall children who can't get enough of trains, boats, and cranes. The story ends with the postal system, a local bookstore, and Jay and his loving family, an excellent reminder of the interconnectedness of things and people. Backmatter provides more details sure to delight nonfiction-obsessed kids who are hungry to learn more about global industry and technology. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Will elegantly satisfy the curiosity of children always asking how things work. (Informational picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.