Every day, Mr. Decker takes his horse Chestnut over the same route, making deliveries to the baker’s, the hatmaker’s, the candy shop, and the mayor’s house. On the mayor’s daughter’s birthday, Mr. Decker falls asleep—but Chestnut saves the day, delivering flour for the birthday cake, bows for the birthday bonnet, sugar for the birthday treat, and finally, the birthday gifts themselves, all by himself. Whyte’s lovely watercolors place the story firmly in mid-1800s Charleston, South Carolina—a reality that clashes with the fairy-tale plot. That Chestnut would only make deliveries having to do with Jenny’s party might work in a small imaginary village, but doesn’t work in a busy seaport. The whole book is too sweet, like cotton candy, and the obstacles in Chestnut’s path (mud, a horse-drawn fire engine) appear contrived. This is the sort of thing that appeals much more to grandparents than to children. (Picture book. 4-7)
