Ivamura Kadzuo

Born in Tokyo in 1939. He graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts. The first book in the “14 Forest Mice” series, “Breakfast,” was published in 1983 and immediately received the award for the best picture book (Japan Picture Book Award). Today, the “14 Forest Mice” series, which consists of twelve books, has become incredibly popular worldwide and has sold more than ten million copies in total.

Iwamura has received numerous awards for the best illustrated children’s books. In 2014, he was awarded by the French government and became a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

In 1998, he founded the Kazuo Iwamura Art Museum in Tochigi Prefecture, dedicated to picture books and the theme of human interaction with nature.