When an Asian American girl in New York City mails a package through the United State Postal Service, everything starts out as expected. At the post office, the box is weighed, stamped, and labeled. It goes to a much larger facility where it is tumbled, scanned, measured, sorted, and routed. It heads to the airport—but along the way the truck hits a pothole, and the package flies out the back door, landing in a puddle. It lies there until a Black boy and his mom walk by. The boy picks up the package and notices the Golden Gate Bridge drawn on the box. As luck would have it, he and his mom are about to move to San Francisco, so they pack up their moving van and take the package with them across the country. “Like all packages, this one was sent with hope / that neither snow / nor rain, / nor heat, / nor gloom of night / will keep it from being delivered.” Once they reach San Francisco, they hand-deliver the package to a young Asian boy and his mom. Told with sparse language, the detailed watercolor illustrations carry most of this story, providing a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at much of what happens to a package as it goes through the postal system (the lost package, one hopes, is a rarity). There are several cut-aways, which reveal the inner workings at the post office (including machinery) and the interior of a postal truck. (Ages 4-7)

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Children's Book of 2021

A Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2021

From author Richard Ho and illustrator Jessica Lanan, the heartwarming story of a package that gets lost, then found, and an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at what happens at the post office.

Like other packages, this one began as an empty box. It was packed with great care, sealed tight, and given a personal touch.

Like other packages, it left the post office with hope. But unlike most packages, before it got to its destination...

it

got

lost.

Follow one package that loses its way and discover a friendship tale that proves distance can't always keep us apart.