The Long, Long Letter

by Elizabeth Spurr, David Catrow (Illustrator)

Mother's long, long letter brings Aunt Hetta surprise and adventure, as the loose pages bury her house and keep her warm during the winter

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Juvenile

Hardcover

First published April 8, 1996

Reviews

[Carryl Lee]

This is a fun one to read with the kids or grandkids. The art is fun and well done. My cranky sister who loves children's literature sent it to me years ago, as more than a hint about my letter writing habits. :) (I did finally send a letter back. She should get on email if she wants to hear from me regularly, though.) It's a silly but fun story of a woman who writes her aunt such a long letter that it causes mayhem. Recommended.

[Colette Briggs]

Super cute book with great illustrations. I loved the attention it put on letter writing and and how it brought a community together. ❤️

[Karen]

Elderly Hetta is lonely. Hetta writes a letter to her niece and asks for a letter. The obliging niece sets herself at the table with a good old fashioned plume and writes a letter that is pages and pages and boxes of pages in length. When she has no more paper to write on, she sends it off with the postman. A fierce wind sweeps her letter out of the boxes and causes a swirling snowstorm of sheaves that circles the patient Aunt Hetta and buries her, her mailbox, and the entire farm. People swarm from miles around to see this phenomena and to help her gather the sheets. Aunt Hetta isn't lonely anymore. Now if she could only find her glasses!

This is a wonderful story that shows the loneliness often experienced by older people who are isolated and cannot get out to meet friends or visit family. Her family steps up to the plate and her niece's lengthy correspondence brings her aunt the company that she needs. The story deserves merit but the real strength of the book are the humorous and rustic illustrations. The colors are bright and fun and the style is cartoon-ish. Exaggerated features and good old tall tale story telling combine in rhyme for a delightful reading experience with smiles on every page.

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[Susan Webb]

I just re-read this book after almost 20 years and it still makes me giggle! Poor old Hetta, she longs for a long, long letter from her sister. She pleads and cajoles, but no letter arrives. Finally, her sister sits down and writes for months and months, through the seasons, until she sends off a long, long letter. Soon, catastrophe strikes - the wind blows the long, long letter into the sky and across town. Is it gone? NO! It finally dumps all over Hetta a mile out of town, but then she loses her glasses. Should she give up? NO! To her rescue come all the villagers and children to bulldoze up that long, long letter. They are more than happy to keep her company and read the long, long letter to Hetta. The vocabulary is witty and advanced - dither, rumpus, droves, posse, and - my favorite - dis-com-bob-u-la-tion!!! it might be a bit advanced for 4- and 5-year-old readers, but they are sure to enjoy the illustrations and story line all the same.

[Diane]

A modern-day tall tale.

Aunt Hetta is very lonely and begs her sister to write her a letter. Her sister could swear that she had just written Hetta a letter, so she decides "I'd better write a long, long letter--one she will not forget." It takes her half a year to write the letter. It takes many boxes to mail that letter to Aunt Hetta. And when it arrives? "Whoosh! The pages scattered. It was an all-gone letter." And Aunt Hetta is covered in a storm of paper six feet deep. As the town people hustle around to try to gather all the pages, Hetta realizes that she doesn't need to be lonely. She has a lot of friends in town. All thanks to the long, long letter.

[40reds]

I loved it. I read it many years ago to my children at night & I’ve just reread it again. And after all the years in between reading it, it’s still a lovely children’s book. It shows how children can come together in a time of need & help out.

[Ryan]

Such a wonderful story. It has an odd cadence and an off pattern rhyme that works really well. IT was really fun to read aloud, and the message of family helping family was great. Add in the Catrow illustrations and you have near perfect book.
#WinterGames2020 #TeamReadNosedReindeer +16

[Beverly]

I couldn't help wondering why she didn't write shorter, weekly or monthly letters. Well, it wouldn't have made a funny story then.

[Geo Hendrick]

It is a book about friendships that are around you if you take the time to notice them.

[Elizabeth]

Did not like.

[Aleisha Froude]

Sweet story about a woman writing to someone who is lonely and the letter ends up bringing the nearby people to her. The letter writing bit was just a bit too dull for my kids though.

[Melissa]

3.5 ⭐️

Whimsical and a delightful picture book. Slightly sad because of the reason for the long, long letter.

Overall I enjoyed it. Has a great message and it was colorful.

[Dolly]

We are big fans of David Catrow's illustrations, so I am sure that I found this when I searched his page here on Goodreads to find books that he either wrote and/or illustrated that we have not yet read. This was such an odd, but humorous story, filled with exaggeration and metaphor. The illustrations (as we expected them to be) are terrific and really help to make this story very humorous. We loved the page that depicts the children looking all over for Hetta's glasses when all the time they were right on the top of her head!

Overall, this is an entertaining and fun story to read aloud and we really enjoyed reading it together.

[Anna]

Read with first graders in the library and it was fantastic- the kids responded really well to all the little details that they could pick out, and the wonderful lyrical tone of the story is just right if you can pull it off (I noticed that it rolls off the tongue best with a slight southern/Texan accent, which is easy for me but not for everyone) if not the overall message of the story.
Would not use this with kindergarteners or third graders. This is definitely a first and second grade kind of book.

[The Brothers]

Got this book because it's illustrated by one of my favorite artists (David Catrow). A woman gets a sad, little note from her aunt who lives far away wondering if she's going to write her (the aunt) a letter anytime soon. The woman sits down for months and months and composes a huge letter. The letter gets scattered in a tornado as it's being delivered, but the aunt eventually gets it and discovers she's not so alone after all when all the towns people help her read the long, long letter.

Excellent illustrations.

[Laura]

This book was a little odd. I'm not sure it is something that kids would enjoy. I found it very strange and was a little puzzled when I finished it. The ending was nicely wrapped up and all, but I didn't feel anything. I probably wouldn't recommend.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...

[Jessica]

I loved the poetic voice and the rhyming and the use of vocabulary like "befuddled." The illustrations are humorous and enchanting. The notion of loneliness and isolation in the country is something I can relate to. This book is charming, and magical, and beautiful.

[Miriam]

i loved the illustrations and the use of vocabulary! the story is cute and kids can relate to the pain of waiting, and waiting, and ... the invention of a lettercane was ingenious! and the townspeople reading the letter to hetta was a delightful touch.

[Matthew]

An adorable book with such a great message. The art and writing are very symbiotic and make for a great read-aloud combination. A wonderful book to discuss elderly, loneliness, and community spirit.

[BookeryBliss]

I love this story as well as my kids. It's silliness and fun is sure to please all ages.

[Relyn]

I always love David Catrow's illustrations. This book is a silly romp and would be a perfect tie-in to kick off a lesson on friendly letters.

[Kevin]

Love books that David Catrow illustrates. This is a sweet book about someone who does not realize how she is love. Good book.

[Jim Sibigtroth]

I learned a new word :-) kith as in kith and kin - al the people you know but are not related to.