Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window

Title: Totto-chan By: Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (Author), Dorothy Britton (Translator)
Type: Paperback

About: This engaging series of childhood recollections tells about an ideal school in Tokyo during World War II that combined learning with fun, freedom, and love.

This unusual school had old railroad cars for classrooms, and it was run by an extraordinary man-its founder and headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi-who was a firm believer in freedom of expression and activity.

In real life, the Totto-chan of the book has become one of Japan’s most popular television personalities-Tetsuko Kuroyanagi.

She attributes her success in life to this wonderful school and its headmaster.

The charm of this account has won the hearts of millions of people of all ages and made this book a ruanaway bestseller in Japan, with sales hitting the 4.5 million mark in its first year.

Author: Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, daughter of the celebrated violinist, was voted Japan’s most popular television personality fourteen times. She studied to become an opera singer but then became an actress instead, winning a prestigious award for her work in radio and television.

She spent 1972 in New York studying acting, and was critically acclaimed in Japan for her leading role in works by Albee and Shaffer and in Melchior Lengyel’s Ninotchka: Her daily television talk show, Tetsuko’s Room, is still going strong after more than twenty years. Japan’s first such program, it was recently awarded television’s highest prize. This and the other shows on which she regularly appears all enjoy top viewer ratings.

Devoted to welfare and conservation, Kuroyanagi is Asia’s first UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and serves on the board of the Worldwide Fun for Nature. The Totto Foundation-financed with her book royalties-provides professional training to deaf actors, with whom Kuroyanagi often appears. Kuroyanagi has twicw brought America’s National Theater of the Deaf to Japan, acting with them in sign language.

She is the author of ten books.

Ulasan:
Perasaan saya sangat teruja sewaktu pertama kali membaca karya ini (ketika saya berumur 16 tahun) kerana kisah benar yang dipaparkan terlalu unik dan berbeza daripada pengalaman biasa. Cara ibubapa cik Tetsuko dalam mendidiknya sangat kritis, penyayang malah cukup progresif dalam pembinaan sahsiah anaknya bagi jangka masa panjang. Saya kagumi sikap ibubapa beliau yang tidak pernah ambil jalan mudah bagi mengasuh beliau tetapi memberi kepercayaan dan pilihan terbaik untuk anak mereka serta prihatin untuk mendengar cerita si anak kecil walaupun tampak remeh di mata masyarakat.

Tuan Sosaku Kobayashi, guru besar di sekolah Tomoe Gakuen tempat beliau belajar telah beri impak terbesar kepada saya. Cara didikan beliau yang sungguh luar biasa dan pemikiran meluas beliau dalam isu pendidikan kanak-kanak telah membuat saya mengambil keputusan rasmi dalam hidup saya untuk membuat “Home School” kepada bakal anak-anak saya. Saya ingin terapkan budaya ilmu yang diperkenalkan oleh beliau buat anak-anak saya kerana beliau sangat mementingkan pendapat dan kebebasan menuntut ilmu bagi kanak-kanak yang nyata malah terbukti dapat meningkatkan tahap IQ kanak-kanak tersebut (semua anak didiknya berjaya di persada dunia dengan kasih sayang yang di tunjukkan oleh beliau).

Belajar di dalam gerabak keretapi, boleh belajar apa sahaja yang di minati, cara pemakanan, nyanyian, sukan, kebajikan; semuanya begitu berbeza dari pendidikan formal.

Alhamdulillah, saya gembira dan kini saya telah pun mendidik anak-anak saya mengikut acuan hasil pembacaan saya ini. Ianya buku kecil namun memberi impak besar kepada saya, suami dan anak-anak.

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October 7, 2006 | Filed Under e-Bookstore For Mama 

Comments

13 Responses to “Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window”

  1. buttercup on October 15th, 2006 6:39 am

    Totto-chan is definitely one of those books that I’ve read over and over again during my childhood years and still felt like picking it up and reading it again as an adult. A whole new perspective on child education…a must read! ;-D

  2. MamaFiza on October 17th, 2006 10:31 am

    Dearest Miss buttercup,

    You’re such a caring mother with lovely attitude. Thank you so much for your comment & support. Really appreciate it.

    I felt sad because I just find out this book at the ages of 16. I wish I had the same opprtunity like you. However, it’s totally a huge inspiration for me too.

  3. marisa on October 18th, 2006 8:05 am

    I hope i would also buy this books..

  4. Bonda Michiko on November 9th, 2006 11:40 am

    Where and how to get this book?

  5. MamaFiza on December 1st, 2006 9:37 am

    Dearest Miss marisa,

    I bet, you’ll never regrets when you read this book :)

     

    Dearest Miss Bonda Michiko,

    You may simply buy it at Kinokuniya, KLCC :) Easy and fast!

  6. Bonda Michiko on December 8th, 2006 3:49 pm

    Mamafiza,

    I dont know when will be my next visit to Kinokuniya KLCC. In remote location like Labuan island where I am staying, online bookstore is juz the best solution.

    Thank you for sharing! :)

  7. MamaFiza on January 10th, 2007 11:53 am

    Dearest Miss Bonda Michiko,

    If I’m not mistaken, at Kinokuniya website, you may buy books online :D Have fun dear!

  8. mama_06 on April 18th, 2007 10:55 am

    salam mamafiza,

    how r U? lame tak update..tgh berpantang ke? hope u n family sihat sejahtera.
    After reading your comments on this book, I trus went to Kino to get the book. Lucky me, there’s one copy left. Really enjoy reading it. A must read! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to read the other book you’ve suggested.

  9. MamaFiza on April 23rd, 2007 8:27 am

    Dearest Miss mama_06,

    Salam sayang my dear. Thank you so much for your sweet comment.

    I’m truly happy if you love to read this book as I had mention before; It’s SUPERB ;)

    I’ll try to make my book update soon. See ya! Best regards!

  10. ibu_sufi on April 30th, 2007 2:24 pm

    Hai Mamafiza,

    Happy hour!

    “Totto-Chan’s Children: A Goodwill Journey to the Children of the World”

    just drop by to the blog.. :)

    mamafiza: Thank you so much dearie Miss Afni ;) You’re the best!

  11. Yusrina aka yus_azlan on January 11th, 2008 4:18 pm

    Plan nak p cari kat KLCC 2mrrw…tah ada ke lagi..
    KLCC pun dah almost 2 years tak jejak… :)

  12. first_mom on April 25th, 2008 9:53 am

    for those who are interested to read this book but failed to get it at the nearest bookstore, you can simply print it from this site:

    http://ebooks.du.ac.in/edu-resources/Resources/books/Tottochan.pdf

    there are 107 pages altogether. happy reading!

    *love reading it so much and i ended up reading it again and again - like what buttercup did:)

  13. first_mom on April 25th, 2008 10:03 am

    oh ya, my special thanks to mamafiza for her recommendation on this book…truly inspiring:)

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