The Lost Package

Ho's moving story uses less than 200 words--including part of the USPS motto, "neither snow,/ nor rain,/ nor heat,/ nor gloom of night"--to trace a package's journey across the United States. But the pictures depict far more than its trip: a parent and child's drive across the variable U.S. landscape, a long-distance relationship, and budding new friendships. Opening with a tan-skinned child in New York City carefully packing a box and taking it to the post office, the book devotes several spreads to detailing the postal processes the box undergoes before accidentally flying off a mail truck en route to the airport. It is found by a Black child and parent who, serendipitously, soon move to San Francisco, the package's destination. The richness of the tale lies in subtly textured watercolor illustrations by Lanan (The Fisherman & the Whale), which poignantly portray a broad range of settings, from gritty urban streets shimmering with rain to snow-swept terrains to a desolate gas station. An end note by Ho (Red Rover: Curiosity on Mars) contextualizes this homage to the USPS, where his immigrant father worked for more than 30 years, and urges readers to support the now-struggling agency. Ages 3-6. Author's agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt. Illustrator's agent: Ed Maxwell, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Mar.)

PreS-K--The journey of a package begins as a young girl assembles it with care. At the post office, it is processed and put on a truck; along the way it falls out and lays in the gutter, lost until found by a brown-skinned boy walking with his mother and dog. The boy and his mother care for the package, including it in their moving truck and traveling across country through all kinds of weather before arriving at their new home and the package's destination. Delivering the box results in a new friendship between two mothers and two boys. Realistic watercolors depict the two urban environments, while bedroom posters and a drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge on the package reveal the locations as New York City and San Francisco. Variations in perspective and careful pacing convey the tumult and loneliness of a package lost and found on an urban street while the parallel story narrates the boy and mother's serendipitous journey and move. VERDICT A solid purchase, and a touching story of friendship. An author's note provides a personal tribute to the USPS and mentions the impact of the coronavirus on the agency.--Ramarie Beaver, formerly at Plano P.L., TX

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