My enormous thanks to Lefki at Cicada Books for a copy of children’s book Special Delivery by Elliot Kruszynski in return for an honest review.

Published by Cicada on 13th August 2020, Special Delivery is available for purchase here.

Special Delivery

When you’re waiting for a new baby, expect the unexpected!

Today is a very special day. Sophie Duck is expecting the arrival of her new baby brother!

But Delivery Dude keeps bringing the wrong babies. First a baby mouse, then a baby elephant, then a crocodile, a giraffe, an anteat-er a rabbit and a hippo. ‘These babies are NOT my brother!’ shouts Sophie – but Delivery Dude insists that he never makes mistakes. Sophie’s house is filling up to the rafters when the doorbell rings again. ‘NO MORE!’ shouts Sophie, but thankfully this time Delivery Dude is followed by his Stork boss, a load of very cross parents who have come to collect their babies… and Sophie’s Mum and Dad, who have brought a very special delivery…

My Review of Special Delivery

The wrong delivery keeps arriving!

As usual with a Cicada children’s book, I am impressed by the quality of production. There’s a robust hard cover that means Special Delivery is durable and the end papers as well as all the illustrations are bright, colourful and quirky. I loved the fact that many of the illustrations are made from fairly simple shapes that older children, perhaps sharing this book with a younger sibling, could emulate to enhance their own artistic skills. I especially liked the double page spread that is all illustration where images can be shared, discussed and numeracy introduced, perhaps counting the number of wrong babies that have arrived or looking at emotions through the expressions on the mother bird’s face. Indeed, there’s considerable potential for interaction with Special Delivery.

Learning aside, the story is lovely. I can see Special Delivery helping parents introduce the concept of a new baby to young children so that they are helped to adjust to a changing household. I think it would work well with adoptive children too, making sure they know how special they are once the correct baby arrives. With the wrong animal babies being delivered until a very special delivery of the correct baby for the house there’s good humour that children will love. Repetition of key phrases builds language confidence for young children, adding in an almost pantomime feel that appeal to children and adults alike.

Special Delivery is a super children’s book. It’s bright, colourful and charmingly presented. I know exactly who I’m sharing my copy with!

About Elliot Kruszynski

Elliot Kruszynski is a London-based writer and illustrator who has worked with clients including the New York Times, Air BnB, Camden Brewery and Deliveroo. He illustrated and designed Bleep Bloop and Spot the Bot (Laurence King, 2019) and has two books in development with Walker/Candlewick (titles TBC).

You can follow Elliot on Twitter @EKruszynski.