Off the Shelf: The Jolly Postman

I was super-excited to be unpacking after moving and find this children's classic amongst my things, with all of the parts miraculously intact, considering this book is from the '80s and has been in my family since... at least early 1990s, through at least a dozen moves to different houses in three different states.

The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters
Janet & Allan Ahlberg
32 pages

This book is a little different spin on fairy tales, with the postman delivering letters to such fairy tale classics as the three bears, the big bad wolf, Goldilocks, Cinderella, and the wicked witch.  At each step, there is something within each letter that can be pulled out and read, letting the audience actually see what kind of mail each is being sent.  The main book is done in rhyme, with illustrations, and each of the pieces of mail are unique to each recipient.

While definitely a children's book, I would say this is aimed mainly at elementary students, though I even enjoyed a nostalgic read-through as an adult, and some of the pieces of mail would need explaining.  The original tags on the book say for kindergarten and up, but I think that depends on the child involved... many won't have the attention span for some of the "mail" at that young of an age, and if you don't keep a close watch, the mail is sure to end up disappearing, as the envelopes are attached to the pages, but the contents are removable.

That being said, this book is good for any gender child.  The main story is easily read to the younger crowd, and the older ones will enjoy the mail, which includes advertisements and even legal documents.  I personally could see my 5-10 year old nephews getting excited about the story and some of the mail, but the aforementioned legal ones would probably bore them to tears or confuse them, but elementary kids probably make the best audience with child-at-heart adults behind those.  I will admit that I totally am keeping this book, and got excited to find out there are at least two more books, one a Christmas one that I am committed to buying.