By: Kana Urbanowicz
Presented by Kathy and Marty Goosen.
O-tsuyu has spent her whole life in Suruga province, working diligently alongside her family of tea farmers. Though her life may be simple, she loves her village. However, when the mistress of a popular relay station tea house scouts a new server to assist her downstream, O-tsuyu is chosen and must move there, working as her waitress.
Plagued with rumors of the "scary" tea house mistress waiting for her, O-tsuyu isn't sure what to make of her situation or why she was chosen...but she hopes to make her village proud.
Tokyo, Japan
Working from her atelier in Tokyo, Kana Urbanowicz is creating unique illustrations, animations, comics, and other digital and hand-painted works. In 2017 she turned to a freelance career, taking advantage of ten years of experience working as a full-time illustrator.
Her book "Magic Ramen" has been highly praised by: "Junior Library Guild," "CSMSL Best Books of 2019," "Freeman Books Award Children's Literature 2019" and more.