Thoughts about a book – ‘Totto Chan’

‘Totto chan – The little girl at the window’, is a book written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a Japanese actress who wrote this book based on her childhood experience. The book is translated in English by
Dorothy Britton.

Totto Chan is a book about a little girl named ‘Totto chan’, who was expelled from her elementary school. There are many characteristics of hers which according to her teacher are not normal like
other students. Totto chan cannot sit down during the class and always focuses on the things she finds interesting. According to the teacher she spends all the day sitting by the window and talking
to passerby.

Her mother is very upset but she does not take it up on her innocent child, instead she gives Totto the courage to move on. She finds an amazing school ‘Tomoe’ for her daughter where Totto
blossoms. In the new school, miracles await little Totto.

The new school and the school’s lovable headmaster ‘Sosaku Kobayashi’ welcome her with open arms. On the first day the headmaster listens to Totto for four long hours, where he gives her the
freedom to talk whatever she likes.

Tomoe was a wonder school with a lot of freedom. The school had special train-coach classrooms. Everything in this school was as amazing as the headmaster. For a start, the lunch was supposed to
be made of two things or types ……”something from the ocean and something from the hill”….The children of Tomoe were allowed to do their lessons in whatever order they like. This new school was
a milestone in Totto chan’s life as she found many loving and caring friends and a special headmaster like Kobayashi.

The book begin with a bad chapter of war reaching Japan and ‘Tomoe’ the amazing school eventually burned down. The book includes an epilogue which relates to what happen with the Tomoe
students.

I feel everyone, teachers as well as parents should read this beautiful book. It is a book which is both insightful, rich and moving at the same time, which catches the child within all of us. It touched
some important and crucial aspects in children that formal education these days neglects or overlooks. It encourages us to believe that ___

"Uncover a child’s good nature and develop it, so that the child would grow into a person with individuality.”  

Aruna Surlekar