Linda and Shennen’s book, not mine.

Linda received the first batch of her new picture book, Once Upon an Elephant, about six months ago (or maybe it was two or three weeks ago). And then Linda’s co-creator, illustrator Shennen Bersani, received hers, as evidenced on Facebook, and my co-creator, illustrator Andrea Gabriel, received hers.

Me? Nada.

Every day, I walked to the mailbox, with pen in pocket, ready to sign the little slip of paper our rural carrier would leave notifying us that we had a package too big for the mailbox. I was sure the book box would be too big for even our super-sized mailbox. That’s an almost-two mile round trip . . . through the snow . . . sometimes through bitter wind, too . . . down and up our steep driveway.

Every day, there was no slip, no box.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Linda reported the first review of her book.

Nothing.

You know that scene where Charlie Brown opens his mailbox, hoping for a Christmas card but finding an empty, echo-y cavern? That was the scene here.

Nothing.

Until a few days ago.

Now, this one is mine. Been There, Done That: Reading Animal Signs, by Jen Funk Weber, illustrated by Andrea Gabriel

We were so used to the routine of finding an empty mailbox, we were caught off guard, gobsmacked by a giant box rather than a tiny sliver of paper. It juuuuuuust fit inside our jumbo mail receptacle. That our mail carrier knew it would fit is impressive.

Trouble was, we weren’t exactly prepared for a box, especially a heavy box too big for my backpack. Mike tried to cram the box in my pack, but no way was the zipper zipping, and the strap was too short to snug around the box and keep it in. Had I been expecting a box, I would have brought rope.

Oh, sure, we could have left the box there and returned with the truck, but where’s the fun in that? No, Mike carried the book box to the snow mound behind the mailboxes and used a key from his pocket to open it. He then rearranged the four sets of paper-wrapped books in my pack, along with the Arbordale catalogs and other sundry marketing materials.

Mike carried the empty cardboard box home. I carried 32 pounds of books and catalogs. Did I mention that the almost-mile trip home is uphill? And that our driveway is particularly steep?

Should I mention that it was also kinda fun? I felt as though I’d earned something.

Best of all: They’re here!

I’m especially fond of this illustration by Andrea Gabriel.

Buy the book
(Head’s up! It’s available in both hardcover and soft. Make sure you get the one you want.)

Fireside Books | Amazon | Powell’s

Please note: These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I might earn a small commission. Fireside Books is my local Indie bookstore, located in Palmer, AK. They ship.