Dear Annie [Paperback]

Judith Caseley (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 1994 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"My grandpa is my pen pal." Annie tells her class at show-and-tell one day. It's true. Annie and Grandpa have written each other letters since the day Annie was born. When Annie was a baby, her mother answered Grandpa's letters. When she got a little older, Annie told her mother what to write. But now that she is in school, Annie can read Grandpa's letters herself -- and answer them, too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Caseley ( When Grandpa Came to Stay ; Molly Pink ) uses an innovative framework to convey the loving relationship between Annie and her Grandpa: the two communicate primarily through letters. When Annie was born, his first letter arrived, welcoming her to the world. While Annie is still too young to write back, her mother answers Grandpa's notes. But when the girl grows old enough to write to her grandfather, the two become devoted penpals. When Annie brings her box of letters from Grandpa into school, it is clear that hers is the most special show-and-tell. Though Caseley's characters are somewhat restrained in their facial expressions, she skillfully imitates several art styles in her detailed renditions of Grandpa's notecards. The full-toned watercolors are as heartwarming as the book's message, which will be especially reassuring to children who are separated by distance from their grandparents. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Letter-writing may be out of style, but this happy chronicle of mail between Annie and her grandfather may reverse the trend. Beginning at her birth and continuing at least until she can read and write, Annie's grandfather sends her frequent loving messages on appropriately decorated notepaper. At first Annie's mother writes the replies. Soon Annie becomes involved, dropping the envelope into the mailbox, dictating to her mother, and finally writing herself. She and her grandfather write of their lives and their visits--of sleigh rides and ice skating, of drinking hot chocolate and reading library books. Colorful watercolor medallions bring the letters to life and allow readers to watch Annie grow. The writing is an interesting combination of voices--terse and matter-of-fact narration with lively colloquial expressions in the letters. When Annie takes her collection of 86 cards and letters to show and tell, her classmates are moved to seek their own pen pals. Real children and their grandparents may be tempted to turn to this old-fashioned but effective way of showing love. --Nancy Seiner, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688135757
• ISBN-13: 978-0688135751
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Multigenerational

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works Wonderfully On Many Levels, May 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dear Annie (Paperback)

I am surprised more people have not discovered this delightful story; it is a favorite at our house. "Dear Annie" is an excellent introduction to the idea of corresponding with a special pen pal. The exchange of letters can take place before a child can actually write; in the story Annie dictates letters to her grandfather through her mother. We read "Dear Annie" along with "No Mail for Mitchell," "Pooh's Mailbox, and "Toot and Puddle" when my son became interested in the US Mail. All these books well together in theme and tone. After, my son became interested in corresponding with relatives and actually enjoyed dictating "thank you letters."

"Dear Annie" works well on antoher level--illustrating how the bond between a child and grandparent can be deeply enriched by correspondence. Annie's grandfather uses letter to tell Annie stories of his life and to express his love for her. These are two things that grandparents who are geographically distant are not always able to do over the phone. The stories in the book that the grandfather tells are simple, but excellent launching points to start a discussion at home about family and history and changing times.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Literacy, March 22, 2003

By 

Tami Barrier (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear Annie (Paperback)

I am a first grade teacher and have found this book not only wonderful to inspire children to write, but for parents and other teachers. This book shows that literacy can start at birth.
The main character in this story learns to value not only reading and writing, but develops a much closer relationship with her pen pal, which is her grandfather.

Anne's mother read the letters from Grandpa from the time she was born. As Anne got older the mother scaffolded Anne by growing on what she could do. She would mail the letter with Anne, then having anne dictate to her, then helping when needed to allowing Anne to go from an emergent level to a self-extending level and scaffolding when necessary. By the end Anne was reading, writing and even mailing the letters herself.

Another great moment is when she took her letters to share with her class and it inspired her whole class to do a writing project so the literacy band wagon could continue even farther. I highly reccomend this book for children, parents, grandparents, and especially teachers (this is a great lesson to do a study on states and write to others around the country or world).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, July 5, 2008

By 

Janice DeAngelo - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dear Annie (Paperback)

This book is great for encouraging letter writing. I use it as I meet my new class at the end of the year & encourage them to write letters as a form of communication throughout the summer.