In some remote pockets of Arizona, the postman wears a cowboy hat and leads a mule train. The front endpaper illustration traces the mail route through the Grand Canyon. At the South Rim of the Canyon, boxes of mail are transferred from a Postal Service truck to the saddlepacks of Anthony the postman's six mules. He rides a horse and has an eager dog to help guide him along the zipzagging trail full of sharp switchbacks. A succession of double-page spreads that need to be turned 90 degrees for proper viewing emphasizes the steep descent of the route. Deep mud, ice and flash floods make the trail treacherous, but never prevent Anthony from completing his route, which is narrated in a simple, concrete present tense. At length, the mule train reaches its destination, the village of Supai, tucked into a green valley where Anthony unloads the mail and--because Supai is also Anthony's home--his family greets him. Brown's illustrations, in pastel and colored pencil, look appropriately sun-washed. Informative as well as evocative, and told with crisp clarity.

This is a four-star "did you know book?" "Where is the Grand Canyon?," I asked in a children's library program recently. The answers ranged from Nevada to Montana. Not one child knew the Grand Canyon is in Arizona. This is where this very interesting story for young readers begins. This is a true story about Anthony the Postman. Every day he drives a train of mules from the top of the Grand Canyon to the town of Supai far below. The trail is very steep, always dangerous, but even in bad weather, Anthony takes the mail to the people of Supai. The author traveled to the Grand Canyon to observe the only mule train delivery route in the United States. Anthony the Postman is an American hero, isn't he? Vibrant pencil and pastel illustrations bring to life the three-hour journey the postman, Anthony Paya, makes each day on the mule train. Wouldn't this make a wonderful film for Disney to make?

In this engaging text, Brown relates the daily trip made by Anthony the Postman from the top of the Grand Canyon to the village of Supai far below on the canyon floor. Wearing “a cowboy hat, chaps, and spurs,” he leads a train of mules carrying “letters and packages, along with groceries, water, clothes, and even computers” down the steep trail through all types of weather conditions, for “the mail must go through.” An author’s note gives additional details that children will appreciate, including the fact that it takes three hours to make the eight-mile trip from the south rim to the village, located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. He also describes the expedition he made with Anthony Paya, lead muleteer, to appreciate firsthand the journey and the rigors of the landscape. Brown’s wonderful pastel and colored pencil illustrations are a testament to the time he spent on the trail. Readers will feel that they are experiencing the heat and dust as well as the beautiful flora and fauna of the region. Shifting perspectives (the book must be held vertically for trail scenes) add to the drama by providing a sense of the canyon’s awesome size while close-ups of the mules highlight the animals’ important role. A fascinating and informative addition.

Author/illustrator Brown used the anthropologist’s tool of participant observation to capture the hardships and natural glories of the three-hour, eight-mile mule trek to a tiny village on the floor of the Grand Canyon that is performed every day by Anthony Paya, a U.S. Postal Service carrier. This intriguing book chronicles the last surviving mule train delivery in the U.S., beginning with Paya’s pick-up of the mail at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, straight through the mule train’s arduous descent on switchback trails, and ending in Supai, a Native American village. What gives this fascinating material extra punch are Brown’s illustrations, done in pastel and colored pencils. The contrast between the unaffected renderings of Paya, his dog, and his seven mules and the looming golden sandstone walls of the canyon shows how living creatures are dwarfed by nature. Several double-page spreads are vertical, underscoring the heartstopping nature of the descent. An Author’s Note gives more background to Brown’s journey.

Neither rain nor sleet nor hail nor flash floods can stop Anthony the Postman from delivering mail to the village of Supai at the base of the Grand Canyon. Anthony, a skilled muleteer, delivers the mail using a small train of mules, usually making the eight-mile trip in about three hours. Although the scenery may be breathtaking, the hairpin turns and rocky path can be hazardous, especially during poor weather conditions. But the mail always goes through.
With its focus on the postal service, this engaging new book presents a good opportunity to introduce young learners to the idea of public services. The descriptive text and striking pastel and colored pencil illustrations are clearly enhanced by the author’s personal experience riding with the mule train. In addition to its unique topic, the book also raises awareness of the Havasupai Indian Reservation at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

There’s one place left in the United States where the mail is delivered by mule train: from the rim of the Grand Canyon a mile down to Supai, on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. “The mules carry letters and packages, along with groceries, water, clothes and even computers,” Brown writes, and neither 100-?degree heat nor ice has ever stopped the trip. In the village, there are no cars; only mules and ?horses. In dusty brown pastels, he draws a quietly fascinating picture of a rare way of life.

Neither snow, nor sleet, nor rain, nor dark of night stops the mail. But what happens to its delivery when there are no roads? In the remote contemporary community of Supai, located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation in Arizona at the base of the Grand Canyon, muleteers deliver the mail, working their way down the treacherous trails with a convoy of mules hauling letters, food, and packages. The yellows, browns, and rust colors of the landscape radiate the heat from the surrounding canyon; the palette changes to whites and blues to convey the danger of driving rain and sleet. The book opens with Anthony the postman (he "doesn't wear a uniform. He wears a cowboy hat, chaps, and spurs") loading the mules at the top of the canyon. Even in the close-up illustrations, the wide, open expanses of big sky country peek through the horizon, setting the panoramic scene. In vivid contrast to the opening and closing horizontal spreads, Brown depicts the winding trail vertically, adding to the drama of the trip and the potential danger to both men and beasts. An author's note provides details about the process as well as an account of Brown's own expedition with the Supai letter carriers.

Anthony Paya "wears a cowboy hat, chaps, and spurs, and leads a train of mules on a daily three-hour trek down into the Grand Canyon to bring mail to the townspeople of Supai." The author accompanied Paya to see it done. Brown gives readers a good look at the environment of the canyon and the Native Americans who live there. The Havasupai Head Start program will receive a portion of the sales from the book.

A bright, colorful, informative picture book, Mule Train Mail relates the true story of Anthony Paya, the postman who every day, no matter what the weather, starts at the top of the Grand Canyon's South Rim with a mule train packed with mail plus all the goods needed for daily living, and travels for three hours down the narrow, steep trail to the Havasupai Indians living in the village at the bottom. Not only is the canyon grand, so are the captivating, daily adventures of this postman.

Writer/illustrator Craig Brown made the trip with Anthony Paya in order to give a true account of this intrepid postman's daily work. Starting with the cover, Mule Train Mail is all illustration, with the narrative imbedded nicely onto each colorful page. Having ridden the Grand Canyon mules down to Phantom Ranch, I took great joy in recognizing in these illustrations and narrative the scenery and adventures I experienced on my trip.

Made with pastel and colored pencils on gessoed paper, the illustrations glow with reality. This book is wider than it is high and the author has utilized this by sometimes turning the pictures to take full advantage of the width to show the height of the canyon walls. The words always go the direction of the picture. A simple, complete narrative, majoring on Anthony Paya, his mules and dog, and the village and people, attractively provides the intriguing data. Very useful for the social studies group, Mule Train Mail will also make a nice read aloud or to oneself book and will be valued by elementary school pupils and workers in home schooling, public, and private schools.

Want to ride a mule down into the Grand Canyon? I rode one in Molokai down to the Leper's Colony below (Kalaupapa) and that was an exciting trip. (I had never ridden anything before...) I bet this trip would be just as thrilling!

Charlesbridge sent me this book for review. I thought it would be interesting and it sure is. It is also a part of history that has existed for a long time.

These mules are the postman's way of getting mail to the town of Supai. It's the home of the Havasupai Indians, and the only way there (for the post office) is by mules.

No matter the weather, the animal danger or accidents with the mules, nothing stops the mail from going through. It's a bit more of a challenge than travelling around in a mail truck/van.

There is a map to show you the route, the illustrations are rich in color, and it's how mail is currently being delivered as well as historically. Share a little history with your child.

This is a children's picture book, for ages 4-6. It is currently on sale in local bookstores. Pick up a copy and amaze your child with this unique mail delivery system.