Why does a letter need an address?

Have you ever heard a soft little thump at the front door? That is the sound of letters dropping in. One of them might even have your name on it.

Your town has so many houses and so many doors. So how did that letter find yours? Why does a letter need an address?

The person sending the letter writes the address on the front of the envelope. The address says the house number, the street and the town. It tells everyone where the letter must go.

Next, the sender drops the letter into a post box. A postal worker comes to empty the box. The postal worker takes all the letters to the post office, so they can start their trips.

At the post office, the postal workers do the sorting, which means putting letters for the same street into one pile. They read each address to choose the right pile. A letter with no address would have no pile to go in.

After the sorting, a truck driver carries the pile for your street to a post office near your home. The letters are close now, but they are not at your door yet. Who do you think brings them the last little way?

It is the mail carrier, which means the person who brings letters to each door. The mail carrier walks along your street with a big bag of letters.

At every house, the mail carrier looks at the number in the address. Then the mail carrier finds the door with that same number. In goes the letter, right to your house and not next door.

The sender writes the address, so the postal workers know how to do the sorting. Then the mail carrier reads it and finds the right door.

Thump. The letter lands softly inside your door. Your address is still on the front, and its long trip is over.