{"product_id":"the-mailbox-in-the-forest-9781940842530","title":"The Mailbox in the Forest","description":"While spending a vacation with her grandparents, Mayu, a Japanese first-grader, finds a mysterious mailbox in the forest near their house. She writes a letter and leaves it in the box. The next day she is surprised to find a letter addressed to her. She responds and a friendship develops between the two letter writers. But who could this mysterious friend be? Mayu discovers who he is, and discovers the joys of writing and receiving letters. And when the time comes to go back home, she and her forest friend find an unexpected way to exchange letters and to continue their friendship. Illustrated in the whimsical style that won Kazue Takahashi accolades for her Kuma-Kuma Chan books, \u003ci\u003eThe Mailbox in the Forest \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a delightful look into the everyday life of a Japanese girl--with a little magic added\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKazue Takahashi \u003c\/b\u003emade her debut as a picture-book author with acclaimed \u003ci\u003eKuma-Kuma Chan, The Little Bear\u003c\/i\u003e in 2001. Her picture books include \u003ci\u003eRisu denwa\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eThe Squirrel Telephone System\u003c\/i\u003e) and\u003ci\u003e Ne, ohanashi kikasete\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eRead Me a Story, \u003c\/i\u003ewith Kyoko Hara). Takahashi's illustrations embody kawaii--the quality of being cute and adorable, which is prominent in Japanese popular culture.\u003cb\u003e Kyoko Hara \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in Tokyo and graduated from Wako University with a degree in art. In 1978 she won the Kodansha Children's Literature Prize in the KFS Contest. Among her many titles are \u003ci\u003eHaru ni aeta yo \u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003eWe Met Spring\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eand Kuma no Bear to chiisana Tatan (Kuma the Bear and Tiny Tatan) series. When she was a child, she wanted to become a fashion designer and did not like writing at all.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Museyon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50647195156754,"sku":"9781940842530","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d0344945-10d9-4dfc-885f-84dd58f28164.jpg?v=1733197788","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-mailbox-in-the-forest-9781940842530","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}