Postcards Talk is like a beautifully wrapped gift – the attractive covering is an indication of the pleasing contents. The colourful cover of this book has a border of words that motivate the reader to explore its many activities. These activities are presented in short paragraphs, and whether they involve writing or art, they are creative and fire the reader’s imagination. Author Linda Granfield invites readers to make postcards with hidden messages, secret codes, rebuses, jokes and riddles, rhymes, and word plays. Readers are encouraged to write a postcard mystery in sequels, as well as write special events and time capsule postcards. They are even shown how to create a folding postcard and a postcard album. All of these activities are enhanced by Mark Thurman’s humorous and innovative illustrations, which serve to stimulate the postcard writer’s imagination. In addition to Thurman’s colourful illustrations, pictures of real postcards from the past serve as an excellent source of information. Snippets of postcard history are also presented throughout the book in the form of paragraphs and interesting sidebars. Did you know that a Norwegian once wrote a 46,000-word novel on one postcard or that a postcard collector is called a deltiologist? The information about postcards is extended to include facts about stamps and calligraphy.

Because it is so well designed, the pages of Postcards Talk never look overcrowded. Since it contains a lot of detail, it’s the kind of book that children will want to look at again and again. But children are not the only ones who will enjoy this book. It is an ideal resource for teachers who are always looking for ideas that involve “writing for a purpose.” What better way to motivate students to write than with postcards? It is not surprising that this book has been selected by the Ontario Library Association as one of the non-fiction nominees for this year’s Silver Birch Award.