words and pictures ISBN 9781910277201 £11.99
It is the 1950s and there are problems in the Post Office. There are holes in mail sacks, letters have been ripped to pieces and stamps have been licked through to the glue. Mice are to blame so the postmaster employs Tibs, son of Toodle, son of Tiddles, son of Toby, as chief mouser. He is paid 2s 6d a week, but rather than catch mice, he prefers to make friends with them. He tries to teach them to sort the letters, and takes the mice on an adventure on the underground Mail Rail, a driverless mini train which once ran beneath London, linking sorting offices. This nostalgic story is based on the life of a real cat called who was employed by Post Office for14 years, and became a celebrity. Joyce Dunbar was commissioned to tell his story to link with the opening of a new Postal Museum in London where visitors can ride on the Mail Rail. This is a charming picture book which evokes the mood of the 1950s and gives an insight into British history.
Brenda Marshall, SATIPS Council