Sylvester's Letter -- Matthew Burgess, Hardcover

From the superb, creative duo behind Drawing on Walls, A Story of Keith Haring comes this heartfelt story about the loss of a beloved grandparent that yet centers enthusiasm, adventure, and an ebullient creativity rarely seen in books about loss.

Some letters can't be delivered in the usual way... but Sylvester has a plan: if it's couriered by some energetic parachutists, a train speeding through the jungle, and a river packed with piranhas and pink dolphins, his letter is sure to reach its final destination.

What makes this letter so important? Well, Sylvester wrote it for his beloved G.G. (Greatest Grandma), whom he's missing, and it's filled with happy memories and loads of love. G.G. may be gone, but she's still Sylvester's favorite person--the most pickle-loving and fun person he knows! This is a gorgeously illustrated picture book (evincing special, bold colors) about how love, humor, and imagination connect us to each other across life and death, and serve to keep alive the spirit of those who are no longer with us.

Author: Matthew Burgess
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Published: 08/29/2023
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.19lbs
Size: 10.90h x 9.70w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781592703807
Age Range: 6-UP

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/19/2023
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2023
Booklist 08/01/2023 pg. 62
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2023 pg. 47
School Library Journal 01/19/2024 pg. 1

About the Author
Matthew Burgess is a full-time professor at Brooklyn College and a part-time teaching artist in New York City public schools. Matthew is also the author of Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings, Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring, and Make Meatballs Sing: The Life & Art of Corita Kent. He lives with his husband in Brooklyn and Berlin.

Originally from California and Taiwan, Josh Cochran is an illustrator and muralist living in Brooklyn. Drawing on Walls, also written by Matthew Burgess, was his picture book debut. He has received a Grammy nomination for album art, and his installations and murals can be seen at places like the New York Transit Museum. He teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.