1994 Parents’ Choice Honor Winner, Dear Peter Rabbit by Alma Flor Ada and illustrated by Leslie Tryon is a clever and comical story about the friendship between some of the most famous storybook characters. It reminds me strongly of The Jolly Postman but is well suited to children in its humor and practicality (none of the cute letters and things to pull out and get lost). 

The First Little Pig is hosting a housewarming for his straw home and sends a letter to Peter Rabbit inviting him to attend. Sadly, Peter Rabbit is sick in bed with a cold that he got from one of his nighttime adventures in Mr. McGregor’s garden. Mr. McGregor’s daughter, Goldilocks, is planning a birthday party and she wants to invite Baby Bear. And, of course, there is a wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, and other familiar characters. 

This hilarious story recounts the major story book high points by way of letters to and from the characters. The Little Pig’s house party has to be moved not once, but twice . . . (wink). 

The letters themselves are written in the voices of immature characters (Goldilocks, Peter Rabbit, etc.) and have an informal and childish sound to them, but the illustration is quite lovely in many places, giving us a lovely reading experience. 

This book is just plain fun. And, it would be a brilliant book to use with older children in a creative writing lesson – encouraging them to write about something they already know about, but for a different audience or from a different point of view.