Totto-Chan

”[Totto-chan] is a quiet indictment of sterile education.” —New York Times“Sensitively written, delicately illustrated, poetically translated, Totto-chan is, like a haiku, filled with aesthetic and philosophical depth.” —Library Journal”[Totto-chan] has reminded millions of Japanese what children think education should be.” —International Herald Tribune“Totto-chan can be expected to attract American educators, parents, and perhaps some children who appreciate the international view beyond their own first-floor window.” —Christian Science Monitor

Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, daughter of a celebrated violinist, was voted Japan’s most popular television personality fourteen times. She studied opera singing before becoming an actress, winning a prestigious award for her work in radio and television. In 1972, she moved to New York to study acting and received critical acclaim in Japan for her leading roles in plays by Albee and Shaffer, as well as in Melchior Lengyel’s “Ninotchka.” Her daily television talk show, “Tetsuko’s Room,” has been running for over twenty years and was the first of its kind in Japan, recently earning television’s highest honor. The other shows on which she regularly appears also enjoy top viewer ratings.

Kuroyanagi is dedicated to welfare and conservation efforts and is Asia’s first UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She also serves on the board of the Worldwide Fund for Nature. The Totto Foundation, funded by her book royalties, offers professional training to deaf actors, with whom Kuroyanagi frequently collaborates. She has twice brought America’s National Theater of the Deaf to Japan, performing with them in sign language. Kuroyanagi is the author of ten books.

Dorothy Britton

Dorothy Britton, an author, poet, and composer, was born in Japan and received her education in the United States and England. A student of Darius Milhaud, she is recognized for her popular Capitol Records album “Japanese Sketches,” featuring Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s father as the violin soloist. Her acclaimed translation of Basho’s Narrow Road to a Far Province is considered a classic. Britton is the author of The Japanese Crane—Bird of Happiness and co-author of National Parks of Japan. Her recent works include a translation of Princess Chichibu’s autobiography, The Silver Drum, and Kuroyanagi’s Totto-chan’s Children.

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