Mailing May by Michael O’ Tunnel & illustrated by Ted Rand

 

 Mailing May by Michael O’ Tunnel & illustrated by Ted Rand 

• Historical Fiction

• Grades: Pre-K-Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd

• Awards: Notable Children’s Books 1998

Summary:

Charlotte May Pierstorff’s parents promise her she can go visit her Grandma Mary who lives 75 miles away across the Idaho mountains. When May wants to go see her grandma, her parents say it’s too expensive because a train ticket would cost a full day’s work. The next day, May visits Alexander’s Department Store and asks for a job but he says there are only grown-up jobs available. May’s parents wake her up early one morning and she leaves with her father. May’s father has a brilliant idea to mail her as a package because she is under 50 lbs. Leonard, the mail carrier made sure May stayed safe on the train with the other packages. The story ends as May made it safely to her grandmother’s house and she is happy because her parents kept their promise. 

Evaluation:

This book would be an excellent choice for my classroom because it gives children an idea of what life was like in 1914. This book is a realistic glimpse into the past where there were no automated vehicles or roads. This book uses fictional characters but it accurately depicts an average family during that time period and how they would not have the money for train fare. The setting is authentic because it displays mountains and countryside views as opposed to modern-day urbanized cities. Mailing May is the appropriate reading level for second-grade and students might be able to relate to the main character because she is a young girl. This book would be practical for a unit on inquiry and research where students generate questions based on what they read or when identifying historical references about a given time period.