The Jolly Postman
A bicycling postman delivers six pieces of mail among interlocking fairy tales, including Goldilocks's apology and legal notice for the wolf. Envelopes and removable documents let genre and point of view change within the route.
- First published
- 1986
- Reading stage
- Picture books & shared reading
Reading this with your child
Read the route before the inserts
Follow the postman's rhymed arrival, then open that stop's envelope. Keeping this order makes each document a response to the character and situation just introduced.
Name what kind of mail it is
The inserts include forms such as a letter, postcard and formal notice. Ask who sent each item, who receives it and how its design changes the voice.
Bring the fairy tales back in
The jokes assume some knowledge of Goldilocks, Jack, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood. Briefly retell only the needed connection, then let the new correspondence alter the familiar story.
Compare before choosing: Both make page handling central, but Spot contains sturdy flap reveals for toddlers while The Jolly Postman uses loose paper artifacts and layered fairy-tale knowledge. View the comparison title →
Where's Spot?
Moo, Baa, La La La!
The Going to Bed Book
Blue Hat, Green Hat