Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  The package is sealed, addressed, and given an extra personal touch.  Then it’s on its way: to the post office, to a building to be sorted, onto a truck to go to the airport.  But on the way, the truck hits a pothole, and the package falls out.  It sits in a puddle on the side of the road until a boy notices it and picks it up.  He’s excited to see a drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge, because it turns out he and his mom are moving to San Francisco!  Upon their arrival, they find the address on the package and deliver it to a kid who is about the same age as the boy.  The boys talk, the moms talk, and a friendship is born.  The last page shows the package recipient with a replica of the Empire State Building next to the battered box it came in; he’s getting ready to send a package of his own. Includes an author’s note that starts out, “If it wasn’t for the United States Postal Service, I might not be here today” and an illustrator’s note. 40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  A celebration of both the Post Office and new friends, this book is spare with its text, but the illustrations do an amazing job of telling the story, showing each step on the package’s long and winding journey.  The author’s note reminds readers of the importance of the USPS, and what they can do to support it.

Cons:  It seemed like an almost impossible, although wonderful, coincidence that the boy who found the package was just about to move to California.