It Came in the Mail

     When I was a little girl, I was always so excited to receive a letter or a card in the mail.  The thrill I received at that time when I held an envelope in my hands with my name on it made me feel so lucky and important.  On those occasions when I found myself not so lucky when nothing arrived in our shiny bronze mailbox right by the front door of my childhood home for me, I can look back to my feelings of disappointment and can immediately identify with the character of Liam in author Ben Clanton's adorable and expressive tale, It Came in the Mail.  

     As our tale begins, all that little Liam really wants in the whole wide world is to receive some mail.  Every day, every hour and every few seconds, Liam dutifully checks his mailbox, only to be disappointed each and every time. So, he figures that the very best way that he can go about making his wish come true is to ask the very thing that delivers it. Pen and paper in hand, Liam writes a letter to his mailbox and places it in the box. Shaking, quaking, and making noises that Liam has never heard from it before, his trusty mailbox soon delivers on Liam's request.  His first piece of mail to Liam was not your ordinary card or letter--- oh no! Mailbox decides to put it all out there and sends Liam a Dragon!  

     Soon, Mailbox starts to quickly send Liam more mail than he could have ever wished for!  Pickles! Pigs!  Even a gigantic whale with wings! But, soon, Liam's wish quickly turns into a problem, as the overflowing envelopes and packages begin to pile up. What will Liam do with all these packages?  Will Liam ever be able to convince Mailbox to stop?  

     It Came in the Mail is filled with simple, detailed yet whimsical watercolor illustrations throughout, and I loved the touches of visuals of postcards and postage stamps throughout the tale. Your little ones will learn a true and valuable life lesson in Clanton's story that a wish is even better when one is given an opportunity to share it with others.

It Came in the Mail

Written & Illustrated by Ben Clanton

Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2016)

For Ages 4 thru 8

ISBN: 978-148-140-3603