Mailing May (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Illustrator) "It all started when Ma and Pa promised I could stay a spell with Grandma Mary, who lived a million miles away through the rough..." (more)
Key Phrases: Grandma Mary

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2. Five-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff begs to visit her grandmother, but her parents cannot afford to send her. In Idaho in 1914, the train is the only way to make the 75-mile trip over the mountains. The Pierstorffs come up with an unusual solution?mailing May. Sending her as a package is a third of the cost, and since her mother's cousin Leonard handles the railroad mail car, she does not have to travel alone. Children will delight in the fantasy aspects of the tale even after they discover that the story is true. Tunnell describes his research in an author's note. Rand's watercolor illustrations are masterful, as is the design of the book as a whole. The intriguing cover is made to look like a suitcase. With the tweed of the traveling bag as a backdrop, the title is framed in the shape of a postage stamp, and two other old-fashioned stamps and a "photograph" of May holding the same suitcase are featured. The device of the painted photographs or other pieces of realia such as a postal tag or train schedule appear throughout the book's glowing two-page spreads and add to the story's authenticity. This well-crafted presentation provides a brief, but sweet, glimpse into the past.?Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. Based on an incident that occurred in Idaho in 1914, this story tells of little May, who longs to visit her grandmother. May's parents cannot afford a railway ticket for the 75-mile trip, but with the help of cousin Leonard, who mans the mail car on the train, May's father takes advantage of the new parcel post regulations: he presents his daughter at the station post office as a package he's mailing to Lewiston. Affixing 53 cents in stamps to the back of her coat, the good-natured postmaster checks May in as poultry ("biggest baby chick on record"), and Leonard delivers her to Grandma's house the next day. Told in the first person from May's point of view, the story has a folksy quality and a ring of truth that will hold children's interest beyond the central anecdote. Rand's watercolor illustrations beautifully evoke the period and the feelings of the well-drawn characters. Particularly helpful in bringing the past to life are his essentially narrative style and the inclusion of small, sepia-toned paintings of photographs beside the large full-color paintings. Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1st edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688128785
• ISBN-13: 978-0688128784
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #838,402 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice story, perfect drawings, great book, December 10, 1998

By A Customer

I chose this book to read to a group of children, ages 2 to 11. They all sat, listening, interested, and loved it! The story is so nice and the drawings are perfect. I think a child doesn't have to "believe it" to believe in the passion behind it. They get it. It was great.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good story..., April 30, 1998

By A Customer

This is a touching story of a little girl who can't afford to visit her grandparents. It's set in the early 1900's. Children will learn a little history. They'll enjoy the family's solution to their problem. This is a lovely story. I'm afraid, however, that I enjoyed it a bit more than my children. From their 1990's perspective, the story was a little hard to believe.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mailing May, March 9, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Mailing May (Paperback)

I really liked the book Mailing because it was an interesting, funny, and cute little story. It was about a five year old girl who didn't have $1.55 for a ticket to go visit her grandma. SO instead they mailes her as a baby chick through the US Postal Service. Instead it only cost her $0.53 than the $1.55 it would cost to buy a ticket. The pictures in this book were fantastic, they showed al ot of action. THis was a true story.