Totto-Chan : The Little Girl at the Window

I have struggled to find nonfiction lately that I actually want to read, so I went back to a book originally published in Japan in 1981. Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi is one of the most captivating and moving things I have read in years.

As someone always more drawn to books, art, animals, and the wonders of the world than to math, tests, and the confines of a traditional classroom, I found that this one really hit home. It is a perfect book for anyone who has ever felt, or loved a child who feels, a little out of step with the expectations of conventional education.

This bestselling autobiographical memoir by Japanese television icon and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Tetsuko Kuroyanagi tells the story of Totto-chan, a curious and spirited first grader who is expelled from school for, among other things, talking to the street musicians outside her classroom window.

Luckily, this leads her to Tomoe Gakuen, an extraordinary little school housed in old train cars, where children of all kinds are cherished, encouraged, and celebrated for exactly who they are.

The words of its remarkable headmaster, “You really are a good girl, you know,” make me tear up every time I think of them. They capture the profound gift at the heart of this unforgettable book: the chance to be truly seen, understood, and loved exactly as you are.