Madogiwa no Totto-chan (Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window)

Madogiwa no Totto-chan (Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window, Kodansha, 1981) depicts the childhood recollections of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. As a young girl with a strong personality, she was expelled from public elementary school in her first grade. The story is about her days spent at a new and unique school, Tomoe Gakuen. At the time the book was written, Chihiro was no longer with us. Kuroyanagi has said that she decided to write the story upon learning that Chihiro left behind numerous pictures of children captured in a myriad of ways. The story has been translated into 35 languages so far. In 2014, it was re-edited and published as a picture book to make the story more readable for younger readers. The phrase, “Let’s Do It Together,” which was not in the original edition, was also added.