After exchanging letters, Mayu goes to visit her grandparents. Secretly, she has also sent a note to Konta, a young fox that she befriended on her last trip. After she arrives, she tells her grandparents about her plan to research plants in the nearby forest. Grandpa reminisces about playing there with a friend when he was a boy. The following day, Mayu and Konta walk through the forest together. Mayu takes off her sandals to go wading, and one of them disappears. Bravely going for help, Konta returns with Grandpa, who later tells Mayu a secret: his forest friend was also a young fox. The book's quiet charm lies partly in details such as the bird who carries letters between Mayu and Konta and partly in the childlike artwork. Most double-page spreads are devoted to wide-spaced lines of simply written text and small grayscale illustrations. Some pictures are larger or colorful. First published in Japan, this book could find an audience among children learning to read independently or among transitional readers.

Mayu goes back to the forest to meet her new forest friend in the summer.Ever since she spent her winter vacation at her grandparents' house, second grader Mayu has been writing letters to her grandpa and her secret forest friend, Konta the fox. Now it's summer, and Mayu is spending another vacation at her grandparents' house near the forest. Excitedly, she writes letters to both her grandpa and Konta, sharing when she'll arrive. Mayu even plans to do her summer project on the different plants of the forest so she and Konta can play. Preparing for her trip, she goes hat shopping with her mother and even thinks of a gift for Konta. When her vacation finally arrives, she and Konta happily explore and find plants for her project together. One day Mayu loses a sandal in the river and can't walk back home. Konta must find the courage to venture out of the forest and call on Mayu's grandpa. This sequel to The Mailbox in the Forest, translated from Japanese, is another charming tale of everyday life, friendship, and intergenerational kinship. There are letters scattered throughout, written in different fonts. The adorable illustrations switch between black and white and full color. A blank letter template and Mayu's research on the forest flowers are included. Mayu and her family are Japanese.Another sweet story of friendship and family. (Fantasy. 5-8)