Description Who could this letter be for? On the night before Christmas, the little mouse mail carrier slips on the ice and spills all the letters! Oh no, what should he do? One of the letters has lost its animal picture in the snow, so there's no way to tell who it belongs to. The mouse mail carrier finds the smudged letter and, not knowing what to do, delivers the rest of the mail feeling quite discouraged. Just then, the animals of the forest gather round, one by one, worried about the lost letter. Together, they begin to piece together clues from the smeared picture to figure out who the letter belongs to. Surprisingly, it turns out to be a letter from Santa Claus himself! So who could it be for? What if you received a letter from Santa Claus? It's such fun watching the adorable forest animals get excited over Santa's letter and work together to solve the mystery of who it's meant for. After they figure it out, the animals join forces to solve the problem together, and their joy as they all climb aboard Santa's sleigh is simply delightful. This picture book lets children imagine what it would feel like to receive a letter from Santa themselves, filling them with delightful anticipation. Could there be a more perfect book for Christmas? A Fun and Puzzling Story The forest animals look at the smudged picture and guess the letter's owner one by one, almost like playing a guessing game — it's a uniquely fun experience. Since the story is built around this playful riddle format, be sure to look closely at what each animal friend is wearing. As you work through each clue together, you'll find yourself completely absorbed in the story. The moment Santa's letter appears, the charming illustrations capture the magical atmosphere of Christmas Eve perfectly. - About the Author I Love Picture Books! Danno Yukiko When my son Motoki (that's his name) first became interested in picture books at age four, I wanted him to grow up loving books, so I tried to read him as many as I could. Since I loved picture books myself, reading to him was a joy — in fact, I may have enjoyed it even more than he did. Every time I encountered a wonderful picture book, I thought, 'How nice it would be if I could write one like this.' Before long, my mind was so full of the desire to write a picture book that I decided to boldly give it a try. So I based the story on Motoki's everyday life, came up with simple sentences, and sketched his gestures and movements. Four months later, something that could finally be called a picture book was complete. It was made with watercolor paintings on drawing paper, with holes punched through and bound together with string. The drawings and writing were clumsy, but knowing it was the only picture book of its kind in the world, I didn't worry about its quality. I showed it to Motoki right away to see his reaction. But Motoki's expression wasn't very enthusiastic — he seemed to be looking at it out of obligation. 'I see, this one just won't do.' But instead of feeling discouraged, I was fired up with the urge to create a second book. 'Alright, what should the next picture book be about? Motoki loves cars, so a book about cars would be nice, or maybe something about clocks. If I start writing now, I might be able to give it to him as a Christmas present. Christmas... yes, a Christmas story would be perfect. Let's do that.' And that is how this story came to be. I added in a bit of a riddle, since children love that sort of thing. How wonderful it would be if children who read this book could imagine riding the sleigh with the mouse and enjoying a journey through the sky! Author: Danno Yukiko Born in 1955 in Hokkaido, Japan. She left Sapporo Tenshi Women's Junior College without graduating. While writing picture book texts and children's stories, she studies illustration as a hobby. This is her first picture book. She currently lives in Hokkaido. Illustrator: Tarui Shimako Born in 1952 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She graduated from the Design Department of Tama Art University and worked at a design company before beginning to illustrate picture books for children. Her works include the picture books 'I'm Not Sick' and 'The Fire Truck's Red Screw.' She currently lives in Tokyo. Translator: Park Mi-kyung Born in 1964 in Daegu. She majored in Japanese language and literature at Daegu University, and developed an interest in Japanese literature, which she continues to study. Her translated works include 'Swimming Champion Taro's Trea...