Reviewed by
Mary
Banjo Robinson is still travelling the world! This globe-trotting cat sends letters from every country he visits, along with a few other goodies.
His latest destination is Chile.
As always, the letter is marvelously illustrated with bright colourful pictures of scenes from his adventures. His descriptions of the sights are concise but very vivid. He also tells stories about the various native animals he meets along the way.
Banjo’s letters are personalised, not just the child’s name, but also details like favourite food, their location, and even pets!
Parents (or whoever orders the subscription) gives these details at the time of ordering, so the recipient really feels like the letter is personal to them.
As well as the letter, there are additional items.
There’s a recipe card for a traditional or popular dish, and they’re ll simple enough to be made at home, with a parent’s assistance.
There are a sheet of stickers. There’s one for the world map that comes with Banjo’s first letter so the child can see exactly where Baanjo is visiting. There are sticker stamps for the reply, and there are also just some fun stickers, because everyone likes those!
There’s also a country/city guide, which has little maps, trivia, and puzzles, all related to the country visited.
Included are a few prompts for the child’s reply to Banjo. These are incredibly useful for children who may not be sure exactly what to write. There are also picture suggestions too!
Replying is made even easier by including a piece of writing paper and an envelope.
Of course, the envelope isn’t an ordinary one, it’s a special ‘cat mail’ envelope. Cat mail is a special service. The child leaves their letter under the sofa, where it is collected by a local cat and sent on to Banjo.
(What actually happens is that parents retrieve the letter at some point, and keep it as a lovely souvenir of their child’s writing.)
The letter-writing and reading is All pleasingly low tech, but along with the letters, Banjo Robinson also has lots of online seasonal extras for subscribers, including more colouring, quizzes, and activities, perfect for the holidays! Subscribers are added to the Banjo mailing list, so you’ll be notified every time a new set of goodies are released.
By Evelyn 
