Totto-chan, the little girl at the window The sequel

Beloved nonagenarian Japanese icon Kuroyanagi holds two Guinness World Records, one for "the most TV talk show episodes hosted by the same presenter"--Tetsuko no Heya (Tetsuko's Room), ongoing since 1976--and the second for "the most copies published for an autobiographical memoir by a single author." Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window (1981) became "the bestselling book in Japanese history," according to Time, selling 25 million copies worldwide; it focused on Kuroyanagi's expulsion from first grade (for being too curious) and the remarkable education she received at a uniquely individual-nurturing institution and ended with her family's evacuation from Tokyo during WWII. After decades of audiences clamoring for more, Kuroyanagi continues her remarkable story. "Let's give it a go," she says. Writing in charmingly childlike third person, she forthrightly presents extraordinary experiences through war, family losses and separation, her pioneering career trajectory from wannabe opera singer to ubiquitous actor, and her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Literary translator Tejima provides a delightful translation. The late Chihiro Iwasaki's whimsical art plus personal black-and-white photos enhance Kuroyanagi's inviting pages.