Itsa国际传媒檚 a Terrace mystery involving a Russian textbook that a Japanese university professor is trying to solve.

So if you are Stella Smith, Marilyn Short, David Steadman, John Price, Rose Jones, Robert Parry, Elizabeth Brown or Joe Fletcher, University of Tokyo professor Torahiko Terada believes you can help.

Terada is a professor of comparative literature and culture at the University of Tokyo and one of his current projects is researching the role of illustrations used in English-language textbooks.

So when he came across a 1970s-era Russian textbook used to teach English during a research trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, his curiosity was aroused.

The textbook contained not just an illustration but a letter from a group of Terrace school students who said they had read a newspaper article about two Canadian teachers visiting a school in the Soviet Union.

sa国际传媒淚t was said in the newspaper that you were learning English,sa国际传媒� the letter says. sa国际传媒淲e should very much like to have pen-friends in the Soviet Union so we decide to write you a letter.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淗onestly, it is amazing to find it in a Soviet textbook,sa国际传媒� said Terada in an email to the City of Terrace asking if it could help identify the lettersa国际传媒檚 writers.

The illustration used as artwork to complement the letter looks to come from an art book which would contain any number of illustrations.

The students are in a classroom, clustered one student who is sitting at a desk, reading a book.

sa国际传媒淭he children in this illustration are adorable,sa国际传媒� said Terada in other emails exchanged with the Terrace Standard, adding it represents students in the Soviet Union reading.

There is no date as to the year the letter was written, but it did contain the day of the week, the calendar date and the month sa国际传媒� Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Terada does know that the textbook was published in 1978 and in tracing back the day of the week, the month and calendar date, hesa国际传媒檚 concluded the letter was written in 1976.

sa国际传媒淣o, nothing about the Russian school, unfortunately,sa国际传媒� said Terada of where in Russia the letter was sent.

The letter came from Box 101 in Terrace and does not identify the school the students attended but does identify their teacher sa国际传媒� a Miss Duncan.

The students give their ages as 11 and 12 and say they are in Grade 6.

Teradasa国际传媒檚 convinced the letter as published is real and that the names are genuine.

sa国际传媒淭here is nothing to explain that these names are fiction,sa国际传媒� he noted.

The letter describes Terrace as being sa国际传媒渙n the bank of the Skeena River, famous for its fishing. Salmon and trout are netted here. This part of Canada is famous for its forests. Canadian timber is sent to all parts of the world.sa国际传媒�

They also ask the Russian students if they are fond of sports and games and whether they play hockey.

sa国际传媒淲e hope this letter reaches you safely. We promise to answer your letter as soon as we receive it,sa国际传媒� the students conclude.