Eric the postie by Matt Shanks

Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743811931
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Work. Postmen. Echidnas. Australian bush. Eric comes from a long line of successful echidnas. Photographs on the wall attest to the position some of his forebears attained: a judge, scientist and artist, even one batting for Australia. But he has less grand dreams. He wants to be a postie. He has all the attributes of being a good postie: a long beak to help open the letters, a fearless disregard for dogs, a long tongue to lick the envelopes, an ability to keep the post pest free and a burrowing capacity to avoid the rain.
But the post office will not take applications from any animal, so he must prove himself another way.
The regular postie notices that he has fewer letters and parcels to deliver, but the array of letterboxes outside people's homes shows that many items are still being delivered. The people are very happy as their mail is dry and pest free, it is delivered safely and the envelopes are sealed. Tracking down the evidence the postie sees what has happened and solves both their problems satisfactorily.
This delightful story of one echidna's path to happiness is deliciously illustrated with warmth and humour. Readers will love noticing the different people and their mail boxes, the range of material that can be posted, perhaps guessing what might be inside some of the odd-shaped parcels, the slew of different animals depicted and the happy conclusion to the story.
Fran Knight