Once upon a time in a land not so far away, a child sat with an iPad. Behind him, a wall of empty bookshelves.

One day a package arrived by mail (yes, the variety delivered to your door, not your inbox) with a return address that read McSweeney’s McMullens, the new children’s imprint from beloved San Francisco publisher McSweeney’s.

The child opened the package to discover a book (yes, an actual book made of paper and stuff). Unsure of what to do next, he opened the book and discovered the dust jacket unfolded into a giant poster. Mesmerized, he turned the pages.

Soon, books began to arrive at his door regularly. Old tales (Here Comes the Cat), new tales (Symphony City, We Need a Horse), and a kit for tales yet to be written (The Author-Illustrator Starter Kit). The child gleefully flipped through his new treasures. And at the end of the day, he lovingly placed each one on the shelf for safekeeping.

The iEnd.

Available online at mcsweeneys.net, $40 for four books.

Photo: Courtesy of McSweeney’s