As you may have guessed from all of the mini-mailbox action, one of the themes of Volume Five of Alphabet Glue is letter writing. Along with the mailboxes, I included some printable letter writing supplies and, of course, a list of great reads related to the sending and receiving of mail. Among these titles is a new favorite of ours, Letters to Anyone and Everyone by Toon Tellegen.
I almost don't know where to begin with this book. A collection of very short, fable-like stories detailing various animal correspondences, Letters to Anyone and Everyone is the kind of book that feels all at once comfortable and wholly unique. The individual stories are whimsical, slightly odd and display a subtle sense of humor that gives a sense of literary magic. There is an aura of the unexpected in each of the tales, something which I find sorely lacking in so much children's literature and that is always a delight to finally find in a book.
Perhaps the real star of this book, however, is the way that the illustrations, by Jessica Ahlberg, are cleverly woven into the book. The format here is more like a chapter book, with a thicker book block comprised of smaller pages and more densely packed text. However, the illustrations are incorporated into the pages in the way that you might expect to find them in a picture book. They provide a visual backdrop for the narratives themselves that is unique, colorful and simply put, perfect. The way that the illustrations work so very well together with the stories themselves really makes the reading experience enjoyable, and it also makes me wish that more illustrators did this sort of thing.
Above all, this book provides incredible inspiration for young letter writers. The letters in the book are sent to strange places, by unusual means, to recipients you might never expect. What better way to share the idea that letter writing can be creative and full of surprises and is absolutely worth giving a few minutes of time to?
