[.ca] Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (ISBN 4770020678)

Reminisce your childhood memories:
This book is a true-life account of the author and so I've classified it under the genre of fiction. This heartwarming story tells of the endearing childhood recollections that of the author Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. Tetsuko Kuroyanagi was nicknamed Totto-chan and this story was set in the era of Japan in World War II. She was quite a handful as a child, not paying attention in class and disrupting the other students by her quirky actions such as looking out of the window (during class) just to keep a look out for street musicians. AND, when the street musician did finally passed her class, she gaily invited them to come in to her class much to the annoyance of her teacher. As a result, she was punished, and eventually she was even expelled from that school at *hold your breath* first grade. So, one can imagine her to be a naughty girl, but what she is really is a curious and creative girl. The headmaster of her NEW school sees that in her because like Totto-chan, the headmaster himself is one creative lad who implemented unorthodox teaching methods for the children. Just some of the creative teaching methods: ~ children were taught planting by a farmer. Here, the Headmaster also taught the children the value of respecting others by giving credit to the farmer by proudly calling the farmer the student's "farmer teacher" ~ usage of haikus for the students ~ eurythmic whereby children will do their so-called physical fitness leassons with music as accompaniment ~ starting the class with the subjects that the students are comfortable with In short, this story is a must read for all people irregardless of age, race and gender. Young kids will marvel at the atmosphere of the school and envy Totto-chan for having a wonderful Headmaster who'll do his best to make learning as fun as possible for the students. For those working adults, this feel good story will make you reminisce yoursweet childhood memories, where life in those days was much simpler sans datelines et al.

The sweetest collection of chilhood memories!:
The book is enchanting, a tale of a little girl who gained so much lessons in her early years. Despite all of the chaos other people might had at that time (pre-World War II), she could managed to live her life to its full extent. With helps from people around her, in a really simple way, Totto-chan surely got a really beautiful childhood worth to remember for the rest of her life. This book gave me a new point of seeing my life as it is. This book absolutely will lead you to Totto-chan's world of sincerity and simplicity, make you laugh for its naivette and shed tears for its bittersweetness at a time! It will also tell you about the importance of letting yourself loose in your dreams and efforts to make them come true. It will evoke your spirit to change the world to be a better place to live. I'll keep this book as a legacy to my future children. I really will. And you should too.

Can I give it more than 5 stars please???:
I received this book as a gift from a pen pal in Japan about fifteen years ago, and recently found it on Amazon - so I had to buy copies of it for all of my friends. This is a very sweet, simple book and it is also a true story of the author, who is a famous television personality in Japan. The story is written very simply, and it would not be inappropriate for a child, yet not too simplified for an adult. The story begins when Totto-chan, the heroine of the story, is on her way to a new school after being expelled from her old school (she does not find out about the expulsion until years later). The new school is a progressive school which does things in a different way, and treats children differently, teaching them to see the world in a new way. The book is filled with side splitting funny stories, and a few touching ones as well. When you finish reading it, (it won't take long) it will bring a tear to your eye, but make you smile, and make you feel better for having read it. Check it out - I promise you won't be disappointed.

An unforgetable timeless story i've ever read!:
It's really a good book! Tetsuko Kuroyangi (Totto Chan) is so impressed by her former unusual elementary school which were classroom trains and its headmaster who taught the students in different ways and had a vision of child's education in different angle. She wants to share her memories, during World War II, to all readers how she and her friends really enjoyed being in that school and how very kind and wise her headmaster was. First day in that school Totto Chan began to like the headmaster for he can be the one she could trust to. Totto Chan also learnt many things in her childhood's life such as happiness, love, curiousity, friendship, appreciating nature and music, separation, and also sadness. It's such an enchanting book for all ages and all times and so inspiring for educators. Thanks to Dorothy Britton as the english translator who successfully maintains the sense of Japanese in the story.

A Wonderful Book:
Totto-chan is a girl.The book talks about her life in her new school,Tomoe. She had been expelled from her previous school at her first grade. Her teacher had complained of Totto-chan disrupting the class. For example, she would open and close the lid of her table with a loud bang many times a day or she would go to the window and invite the street musicians over. Totto-chan found Tomoe interesting and she liked the school. She met new friends and found that Tomoe always had something new. During lunchtime, the school of about 50 pupils would sit together and sing a song that went: "Chew,chew, chew it well, Everthing you eat; Chew it and chew it and chew it and chew it, Your rice and fish and meat!" After that, the headmaster would go around to see whether all the children had brought something from the ocean and something from the hills. Some other activities included "the bravery test" and "trip to a hot spring". They could also stay overnight when they wanted to see the library arrived. There was also a camp that was held at Tomoe and the tents were pitched in the hall. If you like realistic fiction with adventures and something different from most other books, you might want to try Totto-Chan.