Eiko Kadono

Eiko Kadono (角野 栄子) is a Japanese author of children’s literature, born in 1935, who you probably know from her most famous work, the 1985 book “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (Majo no Takkyūbin, 魔女の宅急便). It was this story about the young witch that served as the point of reference for the film of the same title, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, created in 1989 by Studio Ghibli.

Few people know, however, that the famous “Kiki” has had book sequels, and that its author still writes stories for children. In 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. In total, Kadono has published more than 200 books so far, and in addition to stories about Kiki, these include “Seri Little Ghost”, “Grandpa’s Soup” and “Sarada De Genki”. Many of Kadono’s works have been praised for inspiring women and girls, showing that not only boys can fulfill their dreams and make decisions about their lives.