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Sadie #1

Cok Özel Posta

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Original bdg. 26,00 / 22,00 cm. In Turkish. 40 p. Bekçi Amos'un Hastalandigi Gün kitabinin yazari Philip C. Stead'den eglenceli, komik, sevimli mi sevimli bir hikâye daha... Bir fili postayla göndermek için kaç pul gerekir? Lila, "neredeyse yapayalniz yasayan ve gerçekten bir arkadasa ihtiyaci olan" Filiz Teyzesine kocaman bir fil göndermeye kalktiginda, epeyce pul gerektigini ögrendi. Sonra da, bir uçak, bir timsah, bir tren, birkaç haydut maymun ve bir hayli kararlilik gerektiren macera dolu, bol kahkahali baska bir yol denemeye karar verdi.

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2015

2 people are currently reading
381 people want to read

About the author

Philip C. Stead

29 books220 followers
Philip C. Stead is the author of the Caldecott Medal winning book A Sick Day for Amos McGee, also named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010 and a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2010, illustrated by his wife, Erin E. Stead. Together with Erin, he also created Bear Has a Story to Tell, an E.B. White Read-Aloud Award honor book. Philip, also an artist, has written and illustrated several of his own books including Hello, My Name is Ruby, Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat, A Home for Bird, and his debut Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast, which was applauded by School Library Journal for “its wry humor and illustrations worthy of a Roald Dahl creation.” Philip lives with Erin and their dog, Wednesday, in a 100-year-old barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
Profile Image for Karen.
2,649 reviews1,368 followers
February 28, 2024
This book was recommended to me by my Goodreads friend, Helen. Her review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

What will it take to mail an elephant to her great aunt?

Sadie is very determined to figure this out, and goes to several resources to help her in this task.

After all, her great aunt “lives almost completely alone” and “could really use the company.”

With single-mindedness and bravado, this little girl will do whatever is creatively possible to accomplish this task.

What readers will enjoy as they turn the pages, is wondering how and if she will be successful?

This is a cute, quirky, enjoyable and sweetly mischievous tale. It is delightfully illustrated and evokes feelings of love, determination and devotion for animals and humans alike.

Reading Level: age 3+
Profile Image for Amy.
1,076 reviews91 followers
March 14, 2015
Nine things I love about Special Delivery:
1) Sadie's care and concern for her Great-Aunt Josephine. Who says kids can't look outside of themselves and think of others? Besides, Great-Aunt Josephine is ALMOST COMPLETELY ALONE! :)

2) Jim's outdoor post office...adorable!! (Don't you love the keys hanging from his belt??!!)

3) Matthew Cordell's illustrations....a cross between Quentin Blake and the cartoon work in Schoolhouse Rock. Matthew's illustrations are an absolute stellar companion to the text of the story.

4) Elephant is NOT afraid of mice!

5) Elephants need goggles when flying. An absolute must!

6) Alligators are happy to aid in a mission. All you have to do is ask nicely. :) And, thanking them with a giant stick of bubble gum is the perfect act of gratitude!

7) Bean-loving monkey bandits! How harmful can they be? :)

8) Who wouldn't love being rescued by an ice cream truck? "Doo dee doo dee doo..."

9) Sometimes you can feel almost completely alone...even when you are not almost completely alone. Thank you, Sadie, for your heart!!
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,038 reviews266 followers
March 14, 2020
Sadie is determined to get her gift - a friendly, gray elephant - to her Great-Aunt Josephine in this entertaining picture-book adventure. When the postal service proves too expensive, she attempts an aerial delivery, only to crash land almost on top of an alligator. After following the alligator downstream, she and the elephant hop a ride on a train with some robber monkeys. Eventually, after having lots of fun, they arrive at Great-Aunt Josephine's...

Having enjoyed various picture-books from author Philip C. Stead and illustrator Matthew Cordell in the past, I was curious to see what the two would produce together, and I was not disappointed! Special Delivery is a fun little romp, and I enjoyed following the intrepid Sadie and her elephant companion on their journey. The artwork, done in ink and watercolor, is full of motion, and contains lots of little amusing details. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging new picture-books, particularly ones featuring adventurous and warmhearted little girls (and/or elephants!).
Profile Image for Erin.
758 reviews26 followers
December 30, 2015
Do the illustrations in Special Delivery remind anyone else of Quentin Blake? I enjoy the reassuring, familiar feel of them. I can't help but love Sadie and her dedication to her Great-Aunt Josephine and also her embrace of travel and adventure. The sound effects and repetitions will make this an excellent read aloud, and it would work well in a unit about letter writing (even though mailing an elephant is not exactly the same) or as a discussion about how fun it is to receive packages in the mail from loved ones. My 4 year old son also enjoyed this book, pointing out many small details in the illustrations that I had overlooked.
Profile Image for Cecelia.
423 reviews256 followers
April 27, 2015
The days of sending physical letters in the mail are almost done (if not gone already), but I still wax nostalgic for “real mail.” It might have something to do with all of those international pen pals I kept in touch with as a preteen, and definitely has something to do with The Jolly Postman, still one of my favorite picture books ever. When I saw a picture book with a postage stamp cover, I had to take a look. I could keep Philip C. Stead’s Special Delivery on my coffee table forever, if only for Matthew Cordell’s fantastic illustrations.

Sadie is determined to send her Great-Aunt Josephine an elephant, to alleviate her loneliness (of course! what a thoughtful grand-niece…). She first tries to send the elephant by post, but the amount of stamps needed more than fill a wheelbarrow – that won’t work! Sadie soon takes matters into her own (creative) hands, and she and the elephant travel far and wide by plane, train and ice cream truck, meeting many interesting creatures and characters along the way.

In Special Delivery, Stead has created an outlandish adventure that will appeal to animal lovers and travelers alike. The narrative is a bit disjointed in parts, as Sadie and her elephant jump from one unlikely scenario to another. Some transitions and conversations are left to the imagination. That said, Stead’s story tickles the imagination, and will likely prompt the telling of other tall tales among its readers. It’s inspirational like that.

The real star of this book? Matthew Cordell’s illustrations. They have a deliciously old-fashioned feel, in a style that reminded me of Bill Peet. Sadie is the main (human) character, but I found myself looking at the animals on each page first – their expressions as they have these unusual adventures are hilarious and spot-on. Other fun details in the art: Words made out of train smoke, stamps upon stamps, and the unexpected reunion scene at the end, when the reader finally learns the “real” story.

Special Delivery does what the best picture books do so well: it inspires imagination and creativity, while telling a silly story that will spark questions and laughter. It may not have been my exact cup of tea, but it’s sure to become the favorite book of many children this year.

Recommended for: young readers, and parents/teachers/interested adults looking for books that will speak to an adventurous spirit.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
449 reviews
May 9, 2016
Sadie has an elephant she'd like to mail to her Great-Aunt Josephine. But when she finds out how may stamps are required, she imagines other means of delivery (including by train and alligator). When she finally delivers the elephant, readers discover another surprise about Aunt Josephine. Delightfully and colorfully illustrated by Matthew Cordell, this picture book is imaginative and playful - and readers will come to love Sadie for her determination, sense of adventure, and the way she keeps her promises.

Note the book cover resembling a stamp, the outdoor post office, and emotions shown in elephant eyes. Under the dust jacket, the casing reveals another wonderful surprise from Matthew Cordell.
Profile Image for Katt Hansen.
3,856 reviews110 followers
September 16, 2015
Cute and whimsical with a lot of fun formatting and illustration. I liked all the different ways that this elephant is delivered, loved even more the conclusion when we finally get to meet her aunt. I laughed at the end though I have to ask - since when to monkeys eat so many beans? O.o
Profile Image for April.
538 reviews2 followers
August 31, 2015
To me this is just what a picture book should be- quirky, interesting characters, fanciful, funny story (with adventure!) and fabulous illustrations!
Profile Image for Hannah.
225 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2015
Last month, the zany, heartfelt, and wonderful Special Delivery arrived. A picture book written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, Special Delivery is proof that the pairing of Stead and Cordell is pure hilarious magic. From Sadie, a headstrong little girl who is determined to get an elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine, “who lives almost completely alone and could really use the company,” to banana-wielding, bean-eating monkey train bandits, this book is a wild and weird romp that readers will be delighted to take. It is clear that both Stead and Cordell just GET the way kids’s minds work and how they enjoy silliness. Stead always has a gentle yet humorous way of telling tales, and Cordell’s art emanates whimsy and humor that recalls William Steig and playfulness that reminds one of Ludwig Bemelmans. The book arose from an organic process between Cordell and Stead that Cordell described as “free-form fun.” Also, “chugga chugga chugga beans beans beans” has become my new mantra. Ages 3-7.
Profile Image for Pınar Aydoğdu.
Author 4 books39 followers
April 7, 2019
Türkçe’ye ‘Çok Özel Posta’ adıyla Esin Uslu tarafından çevrilen ve Yapı Kredi Yayınları tarafından yayınlanan bu kitapta, küçük bir kızın yalnız yaşayan yaşlı teyzesine, arkadaş olsun diye, bir fil gönderme macerası anlatılıyor. Oldukça eğlenceli bir anlatımı var.
Profile Image for Jennifer Strong.
801 reviews9 followers
April 25, 2016
Sadie wants to mail an elephant to her lonely Great-Aunt Josephine, but it requires too many stamps. She decides to borrow an airplane and fly the elephant to her, but she runs out of fuel halfway there. They float down a river (Sadie on top of an alligator) until they reach a train station. On the train they join up with some bandit monkeys but hop off when they see an ice cream truck. The truck tows the elephant the rest of the way to sadie's aunt...where the elephant fits right in with all the other zoo-type animals Sadie has sent.

This book was such a disappointment. It was so dumb. I was so excited to read a story about stamps and the post office, but it was about a girl who wants to mail an elephant to her Aunt, because she "lives almost completely alone and could really use the company." (That line got super annoying very quickly.) I thought Sadie was kind of a brat. She expected everyone else to make her plan work. Sure, some could argue this book is about having a big imagination, but everything just felt so unrealistic.
Profile Image for Barbara.
15k reviews316 followers
April 28, 2015
Because Sadie's Great-Aunt Josephine lives alone, she will surely relish the gift of an elephant companion. But getting it there presents quite a problem. She can't mail it or fly it, but Sadie is not put off by the challenges its delivery presents. With the help of an alligator, a train, and an ice cream truck, Sadie perseveres and makes a successful delivery. The whimsical text and detailed illustrations will make readers smile as they see that Sadie's elderly relative isn't all that lonely, after all. The last illustration showing the alligator blowing a bubble from its bubble gum gift is delightful, vividly attesting to Sadie's thoughtfulness and the book's over-the-top humor. Young readers will enjoy hearing this one read aloud and clamor for more. They're guaranteed to echo some of the sounds in the book.
Profile Image for Linda .
4,201 reviews52 followers
June 10, 2015
I loved the craziness of this book, glad to have read it just to read something lighter than a YA book I was currently reading. A little girl, Sadie, wants to do something nice for her
grandmother, whom she says is lonely. She decides to send her an elephant, but encounters quite a few obstacles along the way. It would take too many stamps, the postman tells her, and too much fuel for the airplane when Sadie asks a pilot to fly her (and the elephant). Finally she does settle on a good idea for transportation, but I'll let you discover what the ending is like-fun surprises. Matthew Cordell's beautiful water color illustrations with black outlining are full of whimsy and silliness. It's a fun and imagined adventure!
Profile Image for Kellee Moye.
2,934 reviews340 followers
July 13, 2015
Review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=6812

This is a book that is getting a lot of love recently, and I now know why. Special Delivery takes Stead’s silly adventure story and puts Cordell’s colorful and quirky illustrations with it to make one grand adventure. Although the story was a bit over the top, it all added up to a fun, crazy story about a young girl that had to get an elephant to her Great Aunt Josephine and the cast of “characters” (alligator, a train, bandits, ice cream truck, air plane, etc.) who help her get him there. I found Stead’s humor to be laugh-out-loud funny and Cordell’s illustrations to be a perfect companion (did they remind anyone else of Quentin Blake, one of my favorite illustrators ever?!).
Profile Image for Emma.
3,349 reviews460 followers
December 5, 2014
Stead and Cordell team up to deliver this hilarious story about a girl determined to deliver an elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine who lives almost completely alone and could really use the company. Repeating refrains and sound effects for Sadie's various modes of transportation make this a great read-aloud choice. Cordell's illustrations are bold and colorful enough to stand out to an audience while also having lots of smaller details that can be examined up close (including some bubble gum as would be expected from the author of a book called Trouble Gum!). Lots of fun from the postage stamp style cover to the somewhat surprising end.
Profile Image for Mary.
3,641 reviews10 followers
March 18, 2015
Undaunted by a myriad of obstacles, Sadie is determined to get an elephant delivered to her Great-Aunt Josephine. With laugh-out-loud visual humor, Jenny's escapades and deadpan responses to her misadventures make this a very funny picture book. The elephant's expressions are hilarious, but the robber monkeys may steal the show. An extra bit of humor is the use of the Inverted Jenny image on the cover; nice touch! Don't be surprised if young readers are chanting "Beans? Again?" and demanding hot chocolate.
Profile Image for Jillian.
2,525 reviews32 followers
August 4, 2016
It's not often I finish a book and wonder what on earth just happened. In this case, I was halfway through the book and thought, "Wait...what's going on?"
I was confused, confounded, and befuddled by this book. I don't think it knew where it was going - because after awhile, the elephant was discarded in favor of running away with bandits, and then...ice cream!
The artwork is lovely, though - took me right back to reading Roald Dahl as a child, with Quentin Blake's whimsical illustrations. I think the illustration was by far the best part of the book, in fact!
Profile Image for Patricia N. McLaughlin.
Author 2 books33 followers
June 4, 2015
The premise of this book is very troubling: removing animals from their social groups and habitat to comfort humans. Should we teach children that animals are things that can be mailed like parcels, having no more value than a wheelbarrow of stamps? Could Sadie's special delivery packages ever assuage the existential loneliness of Great Aunt Josephine, who remains completely alone amid her menagerie?
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book670 followers
May 30, 2015
This is a strange, but humorous tale about a thoughtful niece who wants to sent an elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine. The narrative is fun to read aloud and the pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are cartoonish and remind me of Quentin Blake's style. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
Profile Image for Sandy Brehl.
Author 8 books134 followers
October 20, 2015
A rollicking romp based on an important, repeated goal- Aunt J. needs company and and elephant will do the trick. From that point on it's one wacky leg of the trip after another, including loads of animal assistance and oddities.
A lively ironic twist at the end will delight, while keeping a promise will satisfy.
Profile Image for Jillian.
2,367 reviews541 followers
July 12, 2015
Cute, fun, silly, charmingly illustrated, entertainingly told tale of a girl trying to mail an elephant to her Aunt because she "lives almost completely alone and could really use the company." Anxious to read with students and see if they laugh with this one.
Profile Image for Clarissa.
1,433 reviews50 followers
March 10, 2017
An adorable book! Sadie wants to send an elephant to her Great Aunt Josephine. This book is charming.
Profile Image for Andrea Librarian.
158 reviews3 followers
March 12, 2021
I had no idea that there was more than one book about Sadie and her Aunt Josephine until I reviewed Follow That Frog! and saw the series tag on the GoodReads page. I was delighted to find that we had the second book in our collection, but not the first. So I ventured out, much like Sadie, to find a way to get that book! (Luckily the other library in town had it so I checked it out from there). Just as charming and delightful as the third book -though it's possible I like Aunt Josephine as a narrator better.
Profile Image for JoAnna.
929 reviews10 followers
January 22, 2018
Three-line review: A girl sets out to deliver an elephant to her lonely great aunt and encounters a litany of obstacles and curious characters along the way. I, of course, love the idea of snail mail (even though this is elephant mail!) so it gets thumbs up in that regard. However, it fell a bit flat for me, and I think the fact the airplane they're flying in crashes due to the elephant's weight is a bit unnerving.
Profile Image for Kaylynn Johnsen.
1,268 reviews11 followers
October 2, 2019
I think Sadie and I would have been great friends. Her creativity knows no end. Completely unrealistic while being completely believable too. No mean feat.

Sadie wants to deliver an elephant to Great-Aunt Josephine, who "lives almost entirely almost entirely alone and could really use the company." Wait to you meet Great-Aunt Josephine. Such a treat.
Profile Image for Earl.
4,109 reviews42 followers
September 6, 2017
Truly special. A girl is set on sending her aunt an elephant. I love the refrain of Aunt Josephine “who lives completely alone and can really use the company.” Sadie is such a great character- kind-hearted, determined, and willing to go with the flow.
585 reviews2 followers
September 22, 2020
A totally charming story about a girl named Sadie who is determined to get an elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine, "who lives almost completely alone, and could really use the company" - despite all the crazy obstacles and quirky characters she encounters along the way.
1,909 reviews9 followers
September 22, 2021
Sadie is my new hero!

I love how the story starts even before the dedications/actual story starts.

I adore the side story with the little mice and whatnots.

The townspeople characters are wonderfully developed in the one-ish page each that they get!
Profile Image for Cathi.
1,056 reviews4 followers
January 3, 2022
This was quite funny and over-the-top, and I wonder if our kids would have enjoyed this when they were young. Some of it was just a bit too weird for me, and I found myself asking "Am I missing something?" I still liked it, though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews

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