Thief, Popeye!

★ Ranked #1 in Japan's Miraiya Picture Book Awards
★ Ranked #3 in MOE Picture Book Awards
★ Ranked #3 in the 6th Tsutaya Picture Book Awards
★ Ranked #2 in the Children's Book New Release category at Shizuoka Bookstore Awards

Thief Chambolly lives hidden beneath the town, coming out only at night to steal.

What he steals is very peculiar; jewelry, famous paintings, and money cannot satisfy him. He steals the "letter seeds" that people have not sent out—for example, misspelled drafts, letters revised multiple times, letters they felt too embarrassed to be seen and later discarded... Every night, after returning to his hiding place, Chambolly savors these naked and genuine feelings until dawn.

But one day, Chambolly can no longer find these "letter seeds," not even in the dump. Upon inquiry, he learns that the new town mayor has issued an order prohibiting letter writing. Chambolly decides to leave this place where there are no more letters. But before leaving, he gives the townspeople a gift... This gift transforms into a gentle power that changes the destiny of the townspeople...


A story about people, sincerity, and speaking out

The inspiration for "Thief Chambolly" comes from the war caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The town mayor's deprivation of people's freedom to write letters alludes to the conflicts and injustices we face.

Author Yui Abe says, "When something precious is taken away, or when facing injustice, I hope to bravely express my opinions, just like the people I know and the townspeople in this book. I hope this book can be my support, preventing my weak heart from being swallowed and defeated by powerful forces."

Highly recommended by picture book promoters and creators

Corn Chen / Picture book creator
Hung Yu-sui / Owner of Qing Geng Yu Du Bookstore
Seadog B&B / Picture book professional
Yu Pei-yun / Director of the Graduate Institute of Children's Literature, National Taitung University
Huang Shu-jen / Owner of Little Rabbit Bookstore

About the Author

Yui Abe

Born in 1986 in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Growing up in an artistic environment due to her father being a painter and a middle school art teacher, she was influenced to become a painter.

In 2020, she published her first picture book, "I Really Want to See You." She has since published "Little Yu Who Loves to Pretend to Sleep," "A Day of Waves," "Grandpa's Big Sneeze," "Monsters in the Deep Night," "The Night of the Strong Wind," and "The Snack Thief," among others.