“The Jolly Christmas Postman” is an all-time favourite classic packed with interactive elements and pure delight from cover to cover. It’s Christmas eve, and everyone’s favourite postman delivers a batch of hilarious Christmas cards, letters and presents to and from some of our favourite fairy tale characters.
The charm of this book is that all these jolly deliverables exist as physical items within its pages. Kids will love this book for its hands-on play elements and re-imagined interactions between the characters of classic fairy tales. There’s an abundance of pop-ups and pull-outs that will entertain young readers for hours on end.
There is a card and a board game from the Big Bad Wolf to Red Riding Hood addressed with a humourous P.S. “I’m a changed wolf”, a get well note and a jigsaw puzzle from the King’s Men to Humpty-Dumpty recuperating in hospital, a Goldilocks’ card to the 4 bears, a tiny book within the book that the Gingerbread Boy receives from his father, and “The Wolf Spotter’s Guide” delivered to the Wolf Den.
Written by Allan Ahlberg (born 1938) and illustrated by his wife Janet Ahlberg (1944-1994), it is the sequel to the highly successful “The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters”, the first book in the series, which sold more than 6 million copies.
Allan Ahlberg tried his hand at many occupations before becoming a children’s book writer, including teacher, plumber, gravedigger and postman, which I dare say is where the idea for the Jolly Postman character came from. Janet and Allan worked together for over 20 years and produced many fabulous picture books.
Allan also wrote books illustrated by others. Janet was the recipient of the Kate Greenaway Medal twice, the second time in 1991 for “The Jolly Christmas Postman”. This prestigious British literary award recognises “distinguished illustration in a book for children” published in the UK in the preceding year. Her illustrations for “The Jolly Christmas Postman” have a traditional charm and like the book itself is packed with so many things to discover.
This book will be a hit for any family’s Christmas reading and play fun.
For reviews of other fabulous Christmas books click here.
Aah!!! What a cool book! There are so many secrets in this merry Christmas postman)!!!????????
Ааа!!! Какая классная книга! Столько всяких секретиков в этом веселом рождественском почтальоне)!!!
Yes, Mashenika! This is an absolute hit with the littlies! I would have died for a book like this growing up 🙂 I loved all kinds of flip-the-flaps (we grew up without sophisticaed book designs), but full blown ‘treasures’ like this one is packed with would have been something else entirely 🙂