Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--Emerson Weber, an 11-year-old white girl from Sioux Falls, SD, loved writing letters to friends and family. In this inspirational picture book, Emerson shows her gratitude to her local mailman by writing him a thank you note. This one act of kindness is shared with many other mail carriers around the country and Emerson gains a multitude of pen pals. These correspondences allow her to learn more about the lives of other people, teaching her the importance of community workers and how they make an impact on the world. Sinquett illuminates Emerson's experience in dazzling watercolor and pencil illustrations as well as personalized hand lettering. The carefully designed images link Emerson's story to current events. Families are depicted traveling to school wearing masks and healthcare heroes are seen attending those in need. VERDICT An ode to the art of letter writing and to the importance of giving thanks. A fantastic supplement to lesson plans that teach kindness and empathy.--Claire Moore, Manhattan Beach Library, CA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An inveterate young correspondent relates the true story of how a thank-you note to her postal carrier went viral. Writing in third person, the preteen author introduces herself as a lover of silly jokes, Taylor Swift, and, particularly, hand-decorated missives. She produces them in such profusion that she writes a letter of appreciation to Doug, her letter carrier: "I make people happy with my letters, but you do too. You make it possible!" Shortly thereafter, she learns that Doug had shared her letter with his colleagues, because grateful responses from postal workers all over the country begin arriving by the boxload…each one "a connection," she writes, with "a piece of someone's life in it." The unforeseen reaction prompts thoughts that many others, from farmers to trash collectors, are likewise out there working hard and with love. Inset views of workers of diverse occupations and races accompany these ruminations in Sinquett's brightly hued watercolors. (Weber, her parents, and Doug all present White.) Elsewhere, the illustrator also tucks in calligraphic flourishes, colorfully ornamented envelopes, and handwritten letters with chatty or plaintive phrases. The author closes with a joke but just before that poses a question that serves nicely as a rhetorical kick in the pants: "Why was my saying thank you such a big deal?" Perhaps because there's not quite enough of that going around? (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.) An ode to the pleasures of real mail and the value of seeing and appreciating those who keep our society ticking. (Informational picture book. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
