Baaba's Parcels

Ages 6–9, with family · Solve Japanese riddles with seven-year-old Emi, who lives overseas.
Read episode one freeEpisode 1 needs no account. Episode 2 is free with a parent account. Episode 3 onward is for Stories members.
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Why this series stands out

Solve Japanese riddles with seven-year-old Emi, who lives overseas.

For families reading togetherFor families who want another occasion to enjoy Japanese together. Read with thoughts of relatives far away and the words you want to keep sharing.

  1. Read a letter aloud and build meaning from familiar Japanese words

  2. Connect everyday Japanese objects such as furoshiki with the words for using them

  3. Find something worth sharing with faraway family and carry it into conversation

Enjoy Japanese stories as a family living abroad

Follow Emi as she solves the Japanese-language riddles in parcels from her grandmother. Letters, everyday objects and family memories offer reasons to read and talk together.

Where does Japanese fit into the story?

Emi rereads letters and riddles, working out their meaning from familiar words. The cloth in the opening parcel introduces furoshiki and connects language with everyday objects. Choose the Japanese edition to read the story in Japanese; this page describes the English edition.

How can we enjoy it together?

Take turns reading a letter aloud or guessing what the parcel means. Afterwards, choose something to tell a relative who lives far away.

Read Baaba's Parcels in Japanese →

Episodes

Episode 1The Parcel with Nothing InsideFree to readJapanese words get stuck when Emi calls Baaba. Then a parcel crosses the sea with only one cloth and a riddle inside. Can Emi solve it before Friday's class presentation?Episode 2Now It's Emi's TurnFree with an accountThis time Emi sends her very first parcel to Baaba, who has caught a cold. Not something she can buy, but something only Emi can send—along with her first riddle. Will they make it across the sea?Episode 3New Year in the Snowy TownMembersIn Emi's town, New Year seems to change only the calendar. Baaba's year-end parcel brings a face in pieces and a riddle in return. Can hands and laughter make New Year arrive here?Episode 4Japan for the First TimeMembersDuring summer vacation, Emi travels to the Japan she cannot remember. A parcel sent before departure contains only four words. At Baaba's house, can Emi find the one that brings okaeri back?
The Parcel with a Name Inside — The next episode is in the making

The words, pictures and voice in this story were made using AI.

Inside the series world

Baaba's Parcels

Emi lives overseas. Each parcel from Baaba in Japan asks her to reread a letter and solve one Japanese riddle. Somehow the parcel always holds exactly what is needed. Children follow the mystery; grown-ups recognize the care crossing the ocean. Listening, solving and talking together make Japanese a living part of family time.

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