Почта

by Samuil Marshak, Самуил Маршак, Федор Лемкуль (Illustrator)

A certified letter follows its intended recipient all over the world as the postal service attempts to catch up to him.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Russia

16 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak (Russian: Самуил Маршак; 3 November 1887 – 4 June 1964) was a Russian and Soviet writer, translator and children's poet. Among his Russian translations are William Shakespeare's sonnets, poems by William Blake and Robert Burns, and Rudyard Kipling's stories. Maxim Gorky proclaimed Marshak to be "the founder of Russia's (Soviet) children's literature."

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, Hail to Mail--apparently a translation of a 1927 poem by Samuel Marshak of the Soviet Union--looked interesting to me and the illustrations were captivating so I brought it home. I appreciated the circular nature of the poem, which follows a letter as it is passed from one unwearied mailman to another across the globe to catch up with an explorer. I was hoping for a knee-slapping punchline at the end of the story. The poem was quickly wrapped up and ended with a salute to mail carriers. The words, including names of foreign places and some German words, too, could catch a young reader off guard. The fact that it is a poem helps with the flow, but needs to be practiced well ahead of time. It would be best to use this as a read aloud to help illustrate turn-of-the-century technologies and the history of the postal service. Again, the art is very good and relevant to the period from which the poem hails, so it gives a bit of history both in its literary component and visually.

[Keith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finished reading (in a leisurely six minutes) HAIL TO MAIL, an Americanized (alas!) version of Samuel Marshak's POCHTA (POST OFFICE), a children's book written in 1927. Marshak is considered the founder of Russian children's literature; he was also a noted poet and translator. HAIL TO MAIL pays tribute to the mail carriers who carry a certified letter around the world.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cadence of the poetry is a little clumsy at times, which would make reading it out loud a bit awkward at a few parts- to be expected in translation. However, it's a fun story with fun twists and turns, and the illustrations are unique and perfectly matched to the story. The art really makes it.