Mr. Postmouse's Rounds Spiral-Bound | August 1, 2015

Mr. Postmouse has loaded up his wagon and is ready to deliver the mail. From the lofty heights of the Birds' tree houses to the inky depths of Mrs. Octopus's ship, the intrepid letter carrier lets nothing stand in the way of his deliveries. Each spread features whimsically detailed interiors of creatures' homes, which readers will pore over for delightful surprises. This is a charming introduction to the postal system and an imaginative survey of different types of homes.

In this bustling picture book, Mr. Postmouse carefully loads up his wagon and sets off to make the day's mail deliveries to all the animals on his route. Via cross-section drawings, readers get to peer inside each home Mr. Postmouse stops at, and every one is different, depending on the animals who live there. For example, there's a hole in the middle of the kitchen floor of the Rabbits' home that leads underground to where they sleep and eat. Mr. Snake's superlong home has heat lamps throughout its length. The Birds live in a tree house, and Mrs. Octopus in a sunken shipwreck. Mr. Bear's house has a beehive on the roof with an attached pipe that brings honey straight into the kitchen. Furnishings in Mrs. Fly's home are stuck to the ceiling.

Award-winning author and illustrator Marianne Dubuc is a master at clever, specific details in her drawings to bring each fully imagined animal and dwelling to life on the page. Though more whimsical and tongue-in-cheek than true, this is a terrific book for teaching children about the characteristics and diversity of animal life, including their habitats, their needs, how they live and what they eat. And it's also loads of fun. With so much going on across every spread, children will love poring over the pages on their own, discovering something new every time. Children are also likely to be inspired to create their own made-up stories about what activities are going on in each of the animal's homes in the book.