Special Delivery: A Book's Journey Around the World, written by Polly Faber and illustrated by Klas Fahlen. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House, 2023. $23.99 ages 3 and up

"Some things are stored. 

Others are loaded onto 
delivery vans like Dan's. 

Dan drives over some hills
to a town, where he delivers
one box around the back of ... 

Pip's bookshop."

Jay has only forty days to wait until his birthday. Readers can see in the close look at his bedroom that Jay likes racing cars and other modes of transportation, books, robots, guitar, and volleyball. That scene quickly switches to factory workers arriving to begin their day. 

A quick turn of the page and a surprise awaits. A worker is busy packing copies of the very book being read ... Special Delivery! The packing box makes its way along a conveyor belt to be crated, lifted into a delivery truck and sent on its way to the dock it is loaded onto a huge ship ... just one of five thousand containers already there! 

The book's journey continues until it is safely unloaded on the other side of the world. A freight train travels through the night to a depot where it will be unpacked. From the crate it is transported to its final destination - the bookstore. A passerby steps into the bookstore, chooses a copy of Special Delivery and has it mailed to her grandson. Guess who that is! When Jay delivers his thank-you note to his grandmother, he is the only step on its journey. Love that surprise ending. 

What a truly fascinating way to show young readers the many workers whose jobs it takes to get a book from being printed and finally delivered into the hands of a delighted child. Along the way, many of the workers are named. They are a diverse group and ensure that the book's journey is a success. Knowing who they are adds a very personal touch to a network that is rarely described for kids. 

The colorful, detailed digital illustrations are sure to please kids who have an absorbing interest in machinery of all kinds. The text is straightforward and accessible for even the youngest readers. Backmatter will astonish those who love to know the 'nuts and bolts' of how things work in a global delivery system. Fascinating from start to finish! 

"Many forklift trucks are powered by batteries. 
They're programmed to go no faster than walking 
speed so the people around them are safe. They can 
carry loads that would otherwise need 100 people 
to move. 

A delivery van can deliver up to 200 different items
in a single day's work."