I checked out Sallie Bee Writes a Thank-You Note by Courtney Sheinmel and Susan Verde, illustrated by Heather Ross (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022) from the library on a whim and now I don’t want to return it! Inn Sallie’s story, Sallie is so excited about her new scarf from her grandma that she wants to send a thank you text to her, which then turns into a thank you note she slips into the mailbox.
It was not her intention to send a note. When Sallie’s mom was busy on the phone, Sallie had to wait send her text. She wrote it down so she won’t forget what she wanted to say. With her mom’s encouragement, she decides to mail it to grandma. Over the next week, Sallie finds other reasons to send thank you notes to friends and people in the community.
I grew up in an age where writing a physical thank you note was an essential step in receiving a gift. I am sorry to say that my children struggle with doing this, despite my best intentions. In fact, just last week we finally mailed thank you notes to cousins from some Christmas gifts they had sent. I hope that Sallie’s story will encourage children to give simple thanks you to those around them, since Sallie’s story shows how fun it is to receive the notes as well as how simple it is to make the effort to show such kindness.
