Certainly this incredibly charming Ghibli classic needs no introduction ? Sort of a children’s read-along picture book, “Tonari No Totoro” contains delightful watercolor illustrations by Miyazaki-san, with words/captions by Nakagawa Rieko.
(above) Did you know that Mei and Satsuki’s house is based on a real house found in Aichi prefecture, Japan ? ( See below ) If chance permits, I’ll certainly love to visit it one day.
Just like Kiki’s Delivery Service picture book, the Japanese text is meant for easy reading and can be a great way to learn some simple Japanese.
(above) Mei and Satsuki goes for a night flight with Totoro using his magical flying top, my favorite sequence in the film.
At only 40 pages, this book doesn’t have too much artwork to show off, but its still a nice, light read. For those looking for more artwork from the film, you can find the official “Art of My Neighbour Totoro” here. I have a copy of the book and will do a review of it in the near future.
“My Neighbour Totoro Picture book” artbook details :
– Dimensions – 8.9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
– Hardcover with jacket, 40 pages
– Watercolor with Japanese text
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You might also like these items :
The Birthplace Of Totoro – Miyazaki Akemi Art Book Review
The Art of Totoro – The Storyboard Book
Kiki’s Delivery Service Picture/Poem Book
Nausicaa Watercolor Collection – Miyazaki Hayao Art Book Review
Mushime To Anime – Miyazaki Hayao Book Review
October 20th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Oh man, so great! I’d love to have that book…Totoro is one of my favorite films, and one the rare few anime films that my wife enjoys just as much.
July 17th, 2012 at 11:19 am
What a lovely book. Seems like it would be a nice choice for children learning Japanese.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the real Totoro house was built for an expo held in the region awhile ago and remains as a tourist attraction in some sort of fun park or zoo or something of the like. I believe you can visit the house by lottery as only a few visitors are allowed at a time.
February 23rd, 2015 at 3:01 pm
By any chance was the book ever published in english?
February 24th, 2015 at 12:17 am
oby oby – To the best of my knowledge, unfortunately no. However the book is mostly just illustrations so you can still enjoy it even with little understanding of the Japanese text. :]