Japan
Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window
By Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Dorothy Britton (Translator), Chihiro Iwasaki (Illustrator)
Totto-chan: the Little Girl at the Window. Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. Translated by Dorothy Britton. Illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki. Paperback edition published by Kodansha, 2012. Originally published as 窓ぎわのトットちゃん (Madogiwa no Totto-chan) in Japanese, in 1981. Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window was first published in English in 1982. ISBN 9781568363912. 232 p. (Ages 8 and up). Nonfiction.
From the publisher: “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.” The school was especially unique in the repressive and militaristic society of the time, but was unfortunately destroyed by bombing in 1945. A record-breaking best-seller, it was used as course material for third graders. The author was one of Japan's most popular tv personalities. [all]
Latin America
Chile
9 Kilometers
By Claudio Aguilera, Lawrence Schimel (Translator), Gabriela Lyon (Illustrator)
9 Kilometers. Claudio Aguilera. Translated by Lawrence Schimel. Illustrated by Gabriela Lyon. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2023. Originally published as 9 kilómetros in Spanish by Ediciones Ekaré Sur, Santiago, Chile, in 2020. ISBN 9780802856005. 56 p. (Ages 5-9). Picture book.
A 10-year-old boy enjoys his 5.5 mile walk home from school through Chilean rain forests and mountains. A White Ravens selection and children’s category winner of the Chilean Ministry of Culture's Marta Brunet Award. [jm]