Painting identification please?

Hello,
I was put onto your site by a dear friend across the internet. She was hoping you could help me.

I was very close to my dear nan who passed away 14 years ago...she was very special to me and had a great influence on my life.

Anyhow I always remember a print she had hanging on the wall all the time I was growing up.

This picture took on a special meaning as I grew older. Every time I had a problem, a question, a broken heart or had gotten myself into some scrape or other I would always turn to nan. She would sit me down and tell me a story about this little ragged girl in the picture.
Each time the story would be different and it wasn't until I was a little older that I realized that the stories reflected my life and problems and actually led me to a solution to whatever it was that had upset me so.

This picture was special....so many memories. I was the only one in the family apart from her that liked it. She promised it to me when she died.

However when that day came the picture was somehow 'lost' and I have been searching ever since for a copy but I do not know the title or the artist. Nothing other than the fact I believe it be from the 1970's....possibly earlier. I have done an image search across the net but having trawled through thousands and thousands of pictures I have had no luck.

I know it isn't the work of margaret keene who did paintings of large eyed children nor the work of Bruno Amadio 'bragolin' who did the 'crying boys' series on the 70's.

I am posting in the hope that someone, somewhere may just be able to tell me something about it ... something for me to go on in the hope I may one day find it again.

Thank you so much......it would mean so very much to me....

A little girl in ragged clothes, facing you, and floppy straw hat, rubbing her tearful eyes with a sad looking dog standing on her left gazing up at her. As I remember it was very 'orange' in color.

With thanks