Jessica Lanan
Cover image of picture book 'The Lost Package' showing a mother and son with a dog finding a small package on a city street.

The Lost Package

Written by Richard Ho & illustrated by Jessica Lanan
Roaring Brook/Macmillan Kids, 2021
ISBN: 9781250231352

A little package gets lost on the way to the airport. But with a little bit of luck--and a lot of serendipity--it might just find a new route to its destination...

This heartwarming story offers a behind the scenes look at what happens at the post office.

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An American Library Association Notable book for 2022
A Chicago Public Library Best Picture Book of 2021
A Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2021
A Junior Library Guild selection
Featured in the 2021 Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit, New York

This sweetly simple, understated story is emotionally rich, a warm paean to the power of connections.

★ Kirkus, Starred Review

Ho’s moving story uses less than 200 words—including part of the USPS motto, “neither snow,/ nor rain,/ nor heat,/ nor gloom of night”—to trace a package’s journey across the United States. But the pictures depict far more than its trip: a parent and child’s drive across the variable U.S. landscape, a long-distance relationship, and budding new friendships.

★ Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Lanan's stellar artistry gorgeously amplifies the USPS's sophisticated processes, while simultaneously enhancing the personal links [...] Both informative and inspiring, The Lost Package celebrates surprising connections that can happen when what's lost gets found.

★ Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

Appealing illustrations portray the post office's credo “that neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night” will interfere with the package reaching its final destination. [...] A delightful tale.

Classroom Resources

Pencil drawing of one small postal delivery truck and one large postal service truck, an open cardboard box, and logo text reading

Mail Trucks Coloring Page

Color your own lost package and USPS mail trucks! Available as a PDF for printing at home or school.

LOST PACKAGE Storytime at Tattered Cover

Watch a replay of the virtual storytime hosted by Tattered Cover Bookstore, including a reading of the book by author Richard Ho, an art demo and a question and answer session.

Pencil drawing of one small postal delivery truck and one large postal service truck, an open cardboard box, and logo text reading

Interview with Richard Ho

Watch a replay of the virtual book launch hosted by Books of Wonder.

Pencil drawing of one small postal delivery truck and one large postal service truck, an open cardboard box, and logo text reading

Interview with Richard Ho

Read about the inspiration behind the book and author Richard Ho's path to becoming a picture book author on the blog of children's author Anitra Rowe Schulte.

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