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Un intercanvi de cartes extravagant i tendre imaginat pel geni de Toon Tellegen i dibuixat per Axel Scheffler, il·lustrador d' El Grúfal. En aquesta vida poques coses fan més il·lusió que rebre la carta d’un amic. Obrir-la, llegir-ne les primeres paraules, sentir que l’altre, en algun lloc, ha pensat en nosaltres i ha decidit enviar-nos unes ratlles. Aquest llibre és ple de cartes curioses, tan tendres com desbaratades. Hi trobarem la correspondència entre un esquirol i la seva estimada amiga, la formiga. I una carta escrita al sol. I una carta escrita a la panxa d’un elefant. Cartes que viatgen pels aires i que s’escolen per sota les portes per arribar al seu destí i fer feliços a qui les reben...
93 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
12 people are currently reading
846 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
November 26, 2018
I wonder if your sense of wonder is getting enough exercise. Have you believed two impossible things before noon? Have you made a note to be grateful to the table you sit down to eat in front of, quite probably without ever so much as saying a quiet "thank you, dear table"? I'm betting you haven't. After all, the squirrel...a most loving and patient friend to the elephant and even the bear...had never said his thank-yous to the table. You can imagine the table's joy when he does write that letter!
Oh, and the elephant! The elephant visits the squirrel in his house up the beech tree. It's no surprise that the elephant breaks all the squirrel's furniture before falling out of the tree on the way home. Clumsy, clumsy elephant, who simply doesn't have any sense of balance. I suppose it's no wonder that the snail, to whom the elephant wrote a letter asking for the pleasure of a dance atop the snail's roof, said it wasn't a great idea. But what's an elephant to do when the only thing left to do is build a raft and go to sea?
The sea appears to have taught the elephant how to balance. At least, that's what the squirrel thinks when missing the dear old elephant during a quiet moment amid his next birthday celebration.
And the bear! What a trencherman...trencherbear, I suppose...and the nerve that appetite on legs has! The bear writes to all the animals and asks them if they would please celebrate all their birthdays at once so they can all have cakes which the bear (politely) tells them are really bear food!
But no one minds because that's what the bear always does and is always, always polite about it. So all those visits the bear pays are friendly ones.
These charming short poems masquerading as tales are designed to give the young reader a sense of the magic that the world can't exactly refuse to them yet. The adult reading the poems to the youngest readers who could reasonably be expected to follow them, say six or so, has plenty of opportunities to bring the lessons to life. The lessons aren't necessarily part of the tale. That's such a great idea. Don't tell the kid about selfishness and loneliness and losing someone you love. The animals are doing the learning. The boy who cried wolf? Grim and violent and old hat. Here, the cricket learns about telling the truth by writing a letter saying "The cricket is not here" while chirping madly! Of course that would confuse others.
But the cricket needs to learn another lesson, it seems, since learning the word "not" was accomplished by stealing that word from the letter the elephant wrote. The one that said, "You will not fall," that the elephant was going to read from the top of the beech tree! I don't need to tell you what happened, do I.
I loved the time I spent in this world where all letters are answered by return wind, and all the animals and tables and letters that received the letters were excited to get them and write return letters. The wind always delivers the letters...sometimes huge huge stacks of letters, just ask the ant!...to just the right person. The concepts are ideal for younger readers and the execution, both text and art, is ideal for post-magical thinkers of eight or so to experience as solo reads. There are enough vocabulary words to keep adults involved but the gentle, charming world need cause them no anxiety. Here is a safe space to turn loose of the still-forming mind and soul.
My dear old LibraryThing friend Anita has my smiling thanks and deep gratitude for introducing me to this lovely world.
Oh, and the elephant! The elephant visits the squirrel in his house up the beech tree. It's no surprise that the elephant breaks all the squirrel's furniture before falling out of the tree on the way home. Clumsy, clumsy elephant, who simply doesn't have any sense of balance. I suppose it's no wonder that the snail, to whom the elephant wrote a letter asking for the pleasure of a dance atop the snail's roof, said it wasn't a great idea. But what's an elephant to do when the only thing left to do is build a raft and go to sea?
The sea appears to have taught the elephant how to balance. At least, that's what the squirrel thinks when missing the dear old elephant during a quiet moment amid his next birthday celebration.
And the bear! What a trencherman...trencherbear, I suppose...and the nerve that appetite on legs has! The bear writes to all the animals and asks them if they would please celebrate all their birthdays at once so they can all have cakes which the bear (politely) tells them are really bear food!
But no one minds because that's what the bear always does and is always, always polite about it. So all those visits the bear pays are friendly ones.
These charming short poems masquerading as tales are designed to give the young reader a sense of the magic that the world can't exactly refuse to them yet. The adult reading the poems to the youngest readers who could reasonably be expected to follow them, say six or so, has plenty of opportunities to bring the lessons to life. The lessons aren't necessarily part of the tale. That's such a great idea. Don't tell the kid about selfishness and loneliness and losing someone you love. The animals are doing the learning. The boy who cried wolf? Grim and violent and old hat. Here, the cricket learns about telling the truth by writing a letter saying "The cricket is not here" while chirping madly! Of course that would confuse others.
But the cricket needs to learn another lesson, it seems, since learning the word "not" was accomplished by stealing that word from the letter the elephant wrote. The one that said, "You will not fall," that the elephant was going to read from the top of the beech tree! I don't need to tell you what happened, do I.
I loved the time I spent in this world where all letters are answered by return wind, and all the animals and tables and letters that received the letters were excited to get them and write return letters. The wind always delivers the letters...sometimes huge huge stacks of letters, just ask the ant!...to just the right person. The concepts are ideal for younger readers and the execution, both text and art, is ideal for post-magical thinkers of eight or so to experience as solo reads. There are enough vocabulary words to keep adults involved but the gentle, charming world need cause them no anxiety. Here is a safe space to turn loose of the still-forming mind and soul.
My dear old LibraryThing friend Anita has my smiling thanks and deep gratitude for introducing me to this lovely world.
April 9, 2019
Very short stories, often in the form of letters, with adorable illustrations! My favorite stories were The Mole's Letters and Rain. Some of the stories were very heartwarming, while others seemed nonsensical with no real purpose. The illustrations by Jessica Ahlberg, however, really brought the stories to life. Half the fun is looking at the pictures!
September 13, 2023
My heart is happy.
September 7, 2023
This was so nice
Thats the only way to describe it. I read the book in like 40 min so it was short but I kinda wanna read it again. Basically the book is a collection of animals writing letters. It’s pretty great. The art is so charming and detailed. The writing was at some points so funny I grinned ear to ear and at others so sad I teared up.
This is a letter by the bear (one of my favs):
Dear Animals,
Who is celebrating their birthday today?
If no one is, then who would like to have an early birthday?
If no one would like that, then who wants to celebrate something else and invite me for cake and tart?
If no one wants to do that either, then who wants to bake a cake (with honey and cream and sweet jelly and melted sugar) and to ask me to come around and eat it up?
If no one wants to do that, what then?
Help me.
The bear
The characters are so endearing and fun. Especially the elephant who wanted to dance with the ant, and the bear who was a huge foodie.
Thats the only way to describe it. I read the book in like 40 min so it was short but I kinda wanna read it again. Basically the book is a collection of animals writing letters. It’s pretty great. The art is so charming and detailed. The writing was at some points so funny I grinned ear to ear and at others so sad I teared up.
This is a letter by the bear (one of my favs):
Dear Animals,
Who is celebrating their birthday today?
If no one is, then who would like to have an early birthday?
If no one would like that, then who wants to celebrate something else and invite me for cake and tart?
If no one wants to do that either, then who wants to bake a cake (with honey and cream and sweet jelly and melted sugar) and to ask me to come around and eat it up?
If no one wants to do that, what then?
Help me.
The bear
The characters are so endearing and fun. Especially the elephant who wanted to dance with the ant, and the bear who was a huge foodie.
June 26, 2012
After reading my friend Kathryn's infectious review of Far Away Across the Sea, I immediately checked with our library, finding only this one title available at a distance branch, I quickly ordered it and patiently awaited its arrival.
My first thoughts when holding this little book in my hands was how quaint, adorable and inviting it is, you are immediately drawn in and it begs to be gobbled up in one sitting. I decided to read a few stories at a time so I could absorb them, sometimes this was quite hard to do but I found myself looking toward to what the next day's batch would bring me and the little escape they would offer. I was glad to see the book also agreed with my decision, as the following quote shows.
The charming illustrations fit Tellegen's words like a glove, never distracting or overshadowing. My favorites are the tortoise, the squirrel, the table (yes, the table), the bear with his honey cakes, and especially the elephant. The only problem for me is what happens with the elephant, I would have a hard time answering if a child asked 'what or why did that happen with the elephant?'. With that being said there is still so much here to enjoy.
Remember not to rush this tender, humorous, loving, intelligent, thoughtful, and yummy confection, take it in small bites, so you don't miss a morsel.
My first thoughts when holding this little book in my hands was how quaint, adorable and inviting it is, you are immediately drawn in and it begs to be gobbled up in one sitting. I decided to read a few stories at a time so I could absorb them, sometimes this was quite hard to do but I found myself looking toward to what the next day's batch would bring me and the little escape they would offer. I was glad to see the book also agreed with my decision, as the following quote shows.
"Dearest Tortoise, That is a tragedy for you. It's so cruel when you are in a hurry. Fight your way out of it and defeat it. Fold it up into an insignificant ball, then bury it in the ground."
The charming illustrations fit Tellegen's words like a glove, never distracting or overshadowing. My favorites are the tortoise, the squirrel, the table (yes, the table), the bear with his honey cakes, and especially the elephant. The only problem for me is what happens with the elephant, I would have a hard time answering if a child asked 'what or why did that happen with the elephant?'. With that being said there is still so much here to enjoy.
Remember not to rush this tender, humorous, loving, intelligent, thoughtful, and yummy confection, take it in small bites, so you don't miss a morsel.
July 1, 2022
¡Qué libro más bonito! Desde la edición, ilustraciones y... ¡las cartas!
Empezamos con el elefante, la hormiga y la ardilla mandándose cartas, aunque cada vez se irán animando más animales (y algún que otro objeto como la carta, mesa o el sol). Cada animal tiene su rol, por ejemplo el pulgón es muy tímido. Y no todos los animales están con el mismo ánimo, a veces están tristes y hablan sobre ello a través de sus cartas.
La primera carta de la ardilla fue un tanto caótica, escribía frenética sus pensamientos sin ordenarlos, aunque después le fue cogiendo el tranquillo y el receptor entendía lo que quería decirle.
El elefante consiguió su baile, la hormiga su miel y el oso sus tartas. Y el topo decidió que con mandarse cartas a sí mismo tenía bastante.
Es un libro muy bonito que muestra una tradición que parece que se ha perdido en el tiempo: el poder de las cartas (y de la escritura).
Tiene reflexiones muy bonitas y situaciones divertidas.
Me ha encantado.
Empezamos con el elefante, la hormiga y la ardilla mandándose cartas, aunque cada vez se irán animando más animales (y algún que otro objeto como la carta, mesa o el sol). Cada animal tiene su rol, por ejemplo el pulgón es muy tímido. Y no todos los animales están con el mismo ánimo, a veces están tristes y hablan sobre ello a través de sus cartas.
La primera carta de la ardilla fue un tanto caótica, escribía frenética sus pensamientos sin ordenarlos, aunque después le fue cogiendo el tranquillo y el receptor entendía lo que quería decirle.
El elefante consiguió su baile, la hormiga su miel y el oso sus tartas. Y el topo decidió que con mandarse cartas a sí mismo tenía bastante.
Es un libro muy bonito que muestra una tradición que parece que se ha perdido en el tiempo: el poder de las cartas (y de la escritura).
Tiene reflexiones muy bonitas y situaciones divertidas.
Me ha encantado.
September 11, 2023
i love this book.
i want to live in this world. i want to write letters to my animal friends and let the wind carry them and i want to help the elephant with his falling problem and i want to eat cake with the bear and i want to take classes from the sparrow and i want to visit the squirrel's tree and i want to eat sweets with the ant and i want to console and befriend the mole and i want to write a letter to the sun.
in short, a good book does not have to be long, it does not have to have the most jaw dropping concept, it does not even need a plot. it simply needs to be something you want to lose yourself in.
i want to live in this world. i want to write letters to my animal friends and let the wind carry them and i want to help the elephant with his falling problem and i want to eat cake with the bear and i want to take classes from the sparrow and i want to visit the squirrel's tree and i want to eat sweets with the ant and i want to console and befriend the mole and i want to write a letter to the sun.
in short, a good book does not have to be long, it does not have to have the most jaw dropping concept, it does not even need a plot. it simply needs to be something you want to lose yourself in.
Read
February 25, 2023Dierbare schildpad,
Wat een tragedie voor u.
Haast is zo wreed.
Strijd tegen hem en versla hem, vouw hem op tot hij een onbeduidend propje is. Stop hem vervolgens in de grond.
Blijf vooral kalm. Als u en ik onze kalmte zouden verliezen, wat dan?
De slak
Wat een tragedie voor u.
Haast is zo wreed.
Strijd tegen hem en versla hem, vouw hem op tot hij een onbeduidend propje is. Stop hem vervolgens in de grond.
Blijf vooral kalm. Als u en ik onze kalmte zouden verliezen, wat dan?
De slak
October 25, 2010
I'm going to buy a copy of this book and keep it for my grandchildren, right alongside Winnie the Pooh and my Moomintrolls books. This sweet, short volume is a collection of letters and stories about letters among a group of animals. Every story contains a letter of some sort, and it has the same cozy feel of the Hundred Acre Wood, but doesn't feel like a rip off. Translated by Martin Cleaver and illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg, the short chapters are full of magic, love, friendship and letters. Illustrations on most pages range from tiny figures to full pages of bears and ants eating brightly frosted cakes. The language is colorful and simple, like the start of "The Tortoise's Hurry," "One morning, the tortoise woke up and was horrified to discover that he was in a hurry." Take your time with this book though, and savor every letter and character.
August 10, 2011
These are the types of kids' books that I love the most -- sweet but not sacherine, clever, playful and never talking down to its audience... which is extraordinary when the audience for this book could be four or fourty. Toon Tellegen works with words and logic in a way that is reminiscent of A A Milne's Pooh books. All writers should strive for such perfection!
July 14, 2025
„Kirjad ühele ja igaühele“ on imeline lugu metsaloomadest, kes kirjutavad teineteisele kirju - suuri ja väikeseid, naljakaid ja siiraid. Kirjad jutustavad sõprusest, igatsusest ja üksteise märkamisest. Saatjaks ja kandjaks on alati tuul, kes hoolitseb selle eest, et iga kiri jõuaks just õigesse kohta.
Scheffler on illustraatorina taas suurepärase tööga hakkama saanud.
Scheffler on illustraatorina taas suurepärase tööga hakkama saanud.
Read
November 27, 2024ik heb de Engelstalige versie gelezen (omdat ik de Nederlandstalige niet online vond) en ik merk dat dat de leeservaring heel anders maakt. vandaar ook geen rating 🙃✌️
August 30, 2023
A dreamy little animal world where any creature can write a letter to any thing. Too sweet.
September 18, 2012
Genoten van dit jeugdboekje!
Een rasechte, volwaardige Tellegen!:)
En een pleidooi voor die goeie, oude briefvorm.
Ik heb er plots weer zin in!
Zo'n brief met 'vertrouwd handschrift' in je bus.
Waar je dagen op kon wachten...
En tien keer kon herlezen!
(misschien toch nog eens 'n keertje doen; wij ontvangen ze niet meer, die mooie, lyrische post...)
En verder een pluim voor de tedere, minuscule illustraties van Jessica Ahlberg. 'n Meerwaarde voor de verhalen! Heerlijk om naar te turen!
Een rasechte, volwaardige Tellegen!:)
En een pleidooi voor die goeie, oude briefvorm.
Ik heb er plots weer zin in!
Zo'n brief met 'vertrouwd handschrift' in je bus.
Waar je dagen op kon wachten...
En tien keer kon herlezen!
(misschien toch nog eens 'n keertje doen; wij ontvangen ze niet meer, die mooie, lyrische post...)
En verder een pluim voor de tedere, minuscule illustraties van Jessica Ahlberg. 'n Meerwaarde voor de verhalen! Heerlijk om naar te turen!
September 23, 2013
What a peculiar little book comprised of short story-like chapters. Tellegen's characters are lonely little animals that are desperate for friends and connection, so they write letters back and forth. The elephant asks the snail if they could dance on snail's house; the mole writes letters to himself in the darkness underground; and the bear just wants cake. It's sweetly written with perfect small, simple illustrations to complement the text. Whimsical, a little melancholy, but also a celebration of friendship.
September 20, 2024
Илюстрациите са прекрасни, създават усещане за толкова топлина, уют, споделеност. Пусмата са толкова за деца, колкото и за пораснали. Някои според мен са незавършени и недоразвити, не се разбира какво е посланието им, малко като думи, думи, само за да има думи на листа и илюстрации към тях. Наистина прекрасни илюстрации.
November 26, 2025
Mulle tohutult meeldivad Axel Scheffleri illustratsioonid. Need on tohutult nunnud ja samas nii detailirohked.
Aga mulle üldse ei meeldinud see raamat :D Kahjuks oli mul sama lugu ka Toon Tellegeni teise raamatuga.
Kuigi see raamat oli parem ja tekitas vähem masendust, siis minu jaoks oli see ikkagi raske ja kurnav lugemine. Vaene pingviin :’(
Aga mulle üldse ei meeldinud see raamat :D Kahjuks oli mul sama lugu ka Toon Tellegeni teise raamatuga.
Kuigi see raamat oli parem ja tekitas vähem masendust, siis minu jaoks oli see ikkagi raske ja kurnav lugemine. Vaene pingviin :’(
May 27, 2018
Những lá thư nhờ gió gửi ai đó
Letters to Anyone and Everyone
Tác giả: Toon Tellegen
Minh hoạ: Jessica Ahlberg
Dịch: Huy Toàn
Rate: 4/5
Đấy. Tôi cần những câu chuyện dễ thương thế này để xoa dịu tâm hồn nhạy cảm bị tổn thương sau Choice. 🤕
T05/2018
Letters to Anyone and Everyone
Tác giả: Toon Tellegen
Minh hoạ: Jessica Ahlberg
Dịch: Huy Toàn
Rate: 4/5
Đấy. Tôi cần những câu chuyện dễ thương thế này để xoa dịu tâm hồn nhạy cảm bị tổn thương sau Choice. 🤕
T05/2018
January 4, 2024
Cũng dễ thương, style cổ điển mơ mộng. Minh hoạ đẹp.
October 31, 2025
4.5 weer een prachtig boek! genoten van de verhalen waarbij de moeilijkere gevoelens als eenzaamheid enz. naar voren komen! waardevol om over in gesprek te gaan!
August 24, 2023
toon did it again
April 15, 2014
Postmodern Japanese author, Haruki Murakami, pushes against Japanese literary conventions. He encourages a wide reading of texts and says, “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
Often times, strong cultural influences impact aesthetic taste, acculturation, and thinking. Therefore, when selecting books it is important to include books written by international authors. Letters to Anyone and Everyone was written by “one of Holland’s most renowned and loved authors . . . [whose books] are loved all through Europe” (Perry, 2010).
The beautiful whimsy of Tellegen and Ahlberg’s Letters to Anyone and Everyone (2010) demonstrates why this author and illustrator are loved throughout Europe. The book consists of twenty-three small stories written as short letters by a group of animals and delivered by the wind from door to door.
Here’s the first Letter:
Dear Snail,
May I invite you to dance with me on top of your house? Just a few steps? That’s what I want most of all.
I promise I’ll dance very delicately, so we won’t fall through your roof.
But of course, you can never be really sure.
The Elephant
This quirky epistolary collection engages the imagination as it celebrates cake, friendship, letter writing, and life. Ahlberg’s small and precise drawings add to the poetic experience, bringing rich characters to life and inviting a close viewing of these imaginary communications.
I believe this is one of those books that will inspire thoughts not everyone else is thinking.
Often times, strong cultural influences impact aesthetic taste, acculturation, and thinking. Therefore, when selecting books it is important to include books written by international authors. Letters to Anyone and Everyone was written by “one of Holland’s most renowned and loved authors . . . [whose books] are loved all through Europe” (Perry, 2010).
The beautiful whimsy of Tellegen and Ahlberg’s Letters to Anyone and Everyone (2010) demonstrates why this author and illustrator are loved throughout Europe. The book consists of twenty-three small stories written as short letters by a group of animals and delivered by the wind from door to door.
Here’s the first Letter:
Dear Snail,
May I invite you to dance with me on top of your house? Just a few steps? That’s what I want most of all.
I promise I’ll dance very delicately, so we won’t fall through your roof.
But of course, you can never be really sure.
The Elephant
This quirky epistolary collection engages the imagination as it celebrates cake, friendship, letter writing, and life. Ahlberg’s small and precise drawings add to the poetic experience, bringing rich characters to life and inviting a close viewing of these imaginary communications.
I believe this is one of those books that will inspire thoughts not everyone else is thinking.
April 17, 2019
This book is a collection of letters that animals write to one another, sometimes to themselves, and even to the letter itself. The letters in this story are clever and adorable. Most of them are not long, and many are very simple. Even though this book is geared towards young readers, adults would certainly love reading this book too. There are also little illustrations of the animals that accompany the letters. Even though they don't take up much space on the page, they are fantastic. I honestly have no criticisms about this book. I think this would be a cute book to have in the classroom to have children read for fun. If I were to create an assignment out of it, I would read a few of the letters to my students and have them write a letter to something other than a person. This will help them with their creative writing, and I think it would be a really fun activity.
May 4, 2015
Felt like I was coming into the story/letters mid-story, but this wasn't a bad thing. Obviously all the animals/objects mentioned in the book have deep connections to one another--these connections are not always explained to the reader. Normally this vexes me, but here it felt like a charming mystery or like I was such a close friend that I was already part of it all and no explanations were needed.
Maybe Tellegen's other works explain why Elephant is so clumsy? I don't know, but would like to! This is the first book I've read by him and now I just want to devour everything he has ever done. Unfortunately my library only has this one book.
Madam loved it too.
Maybe Tellegen's other works explain why Elephant is so clumsy? I don't know, but would like to! This is the first book I've read by him and now I just want to devour everything he has ever done. Unfortunately my library only has this one book.
Madam loved it too.
April 28, 2014
I adore these little meandering, nearly pointless stories. They aren't meant to be elaborate and I find their simplicity charming. Tellegen has created a magical land with talking trees, letters delivered by the wind, and squirrels who go on adventures with ants. These books are adorable.
November 22, 2019
A beautiful tender pastoral that explores what it means to write to someone, or to be written to, talks about the nature of writing and the power of the written word. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year.
April 8, 2018
quá sức dễ thương chời quơiiiiiii
May 13, 2020
Toon Tellegen blijft mijn ultieme favoriet.
November 16, 2021
Якобы для детей, сказки для взрослых.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews