Delivery

The notion that “love finds a way” has never been truer than in Meshon’s not-quite-wordless story, in which a grandmother attempts to ship freshly baked cookies to her grandson for his birthday. Working in the vibrant, almost psychedelic cartoon style of his previous books, Meshon (The Best Days Are Dog Days) follows the white box from mail truck to tractor to boat to submarine to whale and so on; an astronaut eventually brings it to the boy’s doorstep. Bright red hearts are a recurring visual element: the cookies are heart-shaped, a heart sticker seals the box, and hearts drift like puffs of exhaust from the vehicles, as if the entire endeavor were powered by love. Shifting perspectives and the sheer ridiculousness of the journey make this cookie-delivery relay a delight; fans of the vehicular absurdity of Tom Angleberger and John Hendrix’s McToad Mows Tiny Island are a natural audience for this story. Readers who gloss over the endpapers will miss a key twist—suffice it to say, one hopes that these boats and trains really do run on love, not fossil fuels. Ages 4–8. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Jan.)