Animal friends gather under a tall sunflower as Midge hangs a lantern, while Rufus, squirrels, a mole, and an owl bring party treats.

A PICTURE BOOK

Rufus Raccoon and the Moonlit Mailbox

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Rufus Raccoon and the Moonlit Mailbox

Rufus, a raccoon postkeeper in a blue cap, holds a blue-starred envelope beside an open red mailbox under an old oak and a full moon.

Rufus Raccoon was the night postkeeper in a little town of tree houses. Each evening, he opened the red mailbox beside the old oak and sorted letters by smell. Lavender letters went to Mrs. Mole. Pine-scented letters went to the squirrel family. Peppermint letters went to the owl who ran the tea shop.

One bright moonlit night, Rufus found a letter with no name. Tiny blue stars covered the envelope. Inside, it said: “Meet me where the shadows point at midnight.”

Rufus walks through moonlit grass with the starry letter in his mailbag, heading past a pond toward pumpkins and cabbages.

Rufus looked up at the clock tower. It was almost midnight. “Who could this be for?” he said. He tucked the letter into his mailbag and followed the oak tree’s long shadow.

The shadow stretched across the grass to the pond. By the pond, the reeds made thin, wiggly shadows. They pointed toward the vegetable garden. Rufus hurried past sleeping pumpkins and cabbage leaves shining silver in the moonlight.

Rufus shows a blue-starred envelope to a small mouse holding a white paper hat with a blue star beside a watering can.

Then he heard a small sniffle behind a watering can. Midge, a young mouse, was sitting there. In her paws was a paper hat with one blue star drawn on it.

“I planned a moon party,” Midge said. “I wanted everyone to meet by the tall sunflower. But my invitation blew away before I could write any names on it. Now nobody will come.”

Rufus held up the starry letter. “I think this is your invitation.”

Midge looked at it. “But how will anyone know where to go?”

Midge places a leaf beside shining wet stones while Rufus rings the bell on his mailbag; a moonlit path leads toward a sunflower.

Drip. Drip. Drip. The watering can was leaking onto a row of flat stones. In the moonlight, the wet stones gleamed like little silver arrows.

“The shadows led us here,” Rufus said. “Let’s make arrows for the others.”

Together, Rufus and Midge put dry leaves beside the shining stones. Every leaf pointed toward the tall sunflower. Rufus rang his bicycle bell once. Ting! Then twice. Ting-ting!

Soon, animals peeked from their houses. They followed the silver stones, the pointing leaves, and the happy bell. The squirrel family brought acorn cookies. Mrs. Mole brought lavender buns. The tea-shop owl carried a tiny pot of peppermint tea.

At the tall sunflower, Midge put on her paper hat. The flower was closed for the night, but its tall stem was just right for hanging a lantern.

“This party found us,” Rufus said.

Midge pours tea into tiny cups at a leaf table while Rufus and an owl look at the open blue-starred letter under a lantern and moon.

Midge smiled. She poured tea into bottle-cap cups. Then everyone gathered beneath the moon to read the starry letter. On the back, Rufus had written a new line: “Follow the lights. You are invited.”