Mitchell the mailman loves delivering mail to all the animals on his postal route, but he does not receive any mail himself until sickness forces him to leave the route for a day.
Because Tortoise is slow to deliver the mail, one animal after another offers to do a better job, but the successful completion of the task always depends on Tortoise.
One winter John Thompson skis across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and creates a path upon which mail and people may travel, thus earning his nickname "Snowshoe Thompson.".
