Noriko-San: girl of Japan facts for kids

Noriko-San: girl of Japan is a children's book written by the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. The beautiful photos in the book were taken by Anna Riwkin-Brick. This book was first published in Sweden in 1956 by Rabén & Sjögren. It's also known by its original Swedish title, Eva möter Noriko-san, which means Eva meets Noriko-san.

What the Story is About

The book tells a sweet story about a girl named Eva. Her mother is reading a book about Japan. This makes Eva imagine a wonderful trip to Japan.

Eva's Dream Journey

Eva dreams that she will travel all the way to Japan. She believes a five-year-old Japanese girl is waiting to play with her. Eva calls this girl Noriko-san.

Noriko-san Prepares

In Eva's dream, Noriko-san is very excited for Eva's visit. She even puts on her special kimono. Outside, a festival for boys is happening. Noriko is a little sad she can't join in the fun.

A Special Party

To cheer Noriko up, her mother promises they can have a party just for girls when Eva arrives. Noriko's mom even lets her play with some very old and valuable dolls.

Eva Arrives!

A little while later, Noriko's cousins come over. They wonder why Eva hasn't arrived yet. Suddenly, one of them hears an airplane! Eva steps out of the plane and Noriko welcomes her warmly.

Playing Together

Noriko and Eva quickly become friends. They even swap clothes and play together for many days. They have lots of fun exploring and sharing their cultures.

Time to Say Goodbye

Eventually, Eva has to fly back home to her mother. She says goodbye to Noriko, and surprisingly, she even speaks some Japanese! When her mother asks why she's speaking Japanese, Eva simply replies that when she's in Japan, she can speak the language.

About the Book Series

Noriko-San: girl of Japan is the second book in a series called Children's Everywhere. There are 15 books in this collection.

A Special Collaboration

This book was the first time Astrid Lindgren and Anna Riwkin-Brick worked together. They continued to create books for twelve years after this one. Anna Riwkin-Brick took the photos for the book while she was in Japan. When she returned, she showed her pictures to the publisher, Rabén & Sjögren, where Astrid Lindgren also worked. Astrid Lindgren then agreed to write the story to go with the photos.

A Dream Story

This book is unique in the Children's Everywhere series. It's the only one that describes a daydream or an imagined event. The other books in the series are based on real events and children.

The Documentary Film

The Children's Everywhere series, including Noriko-San: girl of Japan, became very popular in Israel. This was thanks to the translations by the poet Leah Goldberg. In Israel, Noriko-San was the most loved book in the series.

Searching for Noriko-san

In 2014, an Israeli director named Dvorit Shargal made a 50-minute documentary film. It was called Where is Elle Kari and what happened to Noriko-san?. In this film, she first found Eva, the girl from the book. Then, they searched together to find the real Noriko-san.

A Happy Reunion

Thanks to the film, Eva Crafoord-Larsen (the real Eva) and Noriko Shiraishi (the real Noriko-san) were able to meet again after many years.

Different Editions of the Book

The book has been published in many different languages around the world.

• Eva möter Noriko-san, Rabén & Sjögren, 1956, Swedish Edition
• Eva visits Noriko-San, The Macmillan Company, 1957, US-American Edition
• Noriko-San, girl of Japan, Methuen, 1958, British Edition
• Noriko-San, Oetinger Verlag, 1956, German Edition
• Noriko-San - historien om Eva og den lille japanerpige, Høst & søn, 1957, Danish Edition
• There are also Hebrew versions of the book.
• Hiro translated the book to "cat" 2019, Cat Edition