THE MYSTERIOUS PACKAGE

Chessa tells a simple story of two children, Charlie and Frances, whose parents have received a large package in the mail. The children spend the day imagining that there is a lion inside and what they will do with it when their father comes home and opens the box. At the end of the day, Charlie and Frances discover that there has been a mix-up: The interesting-looking package they’ve been discussing and sometimes bickering over actually belongs to their neighbor, and their own, much smaller package contains a toolkit for their father. The children’s spirits don’t flag for long at this discovery. They simply decide to put those tools to good use, building a house just in case the lion they were hoping for arrives tomorrow. Chessa’s illustrations are the best part of this story. Deeply textured and richly colored, they capture the flavors and resiliency of childhood daydreams and imbue the world of Charlie and Frances with an endearing simplicity. (Picture book. 3-7)