A Day at the Animal Post Office by Sharon Rentta
| A Day at the Animal Post Office by Sharon Rentta | |
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| Category: Emerging Readers | |
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Reviewer: Sam Tyler
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| Summary: Jack's Dad is a Post Bear so when Jack decides to send a letter we go on a journey to what actually happens in this visually attractive book that goes into extraneous detail. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Maybe |
| Pages: 32 | Date: May 2016 |
| Publisher: Alison Green Books | |
| ISBN: 9781407162546 | |
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Some people love their work and I have to say that I enjoy mine, but give me the option of winning the Euro Millions and spending the rest of my days drinking Pina Coladas on a superyacht, or the office, and I choose the beach. For children there is sometimes a glamour that emanates from the working week; what tales of majesty can Bob the Builder tell me? The fact is that work can be dull at times and repetitive, but a book written for children about gainful employment should make it sound fun?
Jack's Dad is a Post Bear and when Jack's best friend moves to the North Pole he wants to send a letter. Rather than taking the missive and placing it in the post box, Jack's Dad instead shows his little baby bear exactly how the post system works from what makes good packaging, to the sorting out at the end. Join the Bears as they take a colourful look at how our mail is delivered.
A Day at the Animal Post Office was not quite the book I first thought it was going to be. I assumed that it was merely a title that was being used to introduce a fun story all about the post, but this is really a first guide to post work. The book goes into a lot of detail about how packages are packed, posted, sorted and delivered. The element that prevents it being like real life is that the world is populated by animals.
The enjoyment level of Animal Post Office will depend greatly on the type of child reading the book. Are they usually non-fiction readers? This is a non-fiction book hidden in a fiction book. The story is very straight forward and is really only an excuse to watch a letter go through each stage. For an inquisitive child who likes to know how everything works the book will be a joy, but a child more used to pure entertainment may be a little put off by the plodding nature of things.
The fact that the book is heavy on words means that it is not quite suitable 'For Sharing'. It takes a long time read and a fidgeting toddler may struggle to keep still. The Emerging Reader find the words more appealing, but they also may be put off by the large amount of colourful and cute illustrations – they want a big person's book!
This is a shame as it is Rentta's illustrations that are the standout aspect of the book. The world of animals is well realised and you feel like it is a real magical place. The level of detail about what happens in a Post Office is reflected in the drawings as each element is covered in vivid colour and a nice illustration. Animal Post Office is a real chalk and cheese book that may appeal to one child, but not another. The slightly youthful drawings, but slightly complex wording, means that it may struggle a little to satisfy either market.
There are other books in the series including A Day with the Animal Doctors and the review shows how different people will approach the books. There are loads of books containing animal adventures, a sweet one is Badger and the Great Rescue by Suzanne Chiew and Caroline Pedler.
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You can read more book reviews or buy A Day at the Animal Post Office by Sharon Rentta at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy A Day at the Animal Post Office by Sharon Rentta at Amazon.com.
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