Hop on the brooms! – review of the book “Kiki’s Delivery Service”

Kiki ‘s Delivery Service is a 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono. However, we had to wait until 2022 for its Polish premiere. Is the story behind Studio Ghibli’s famous animation worth our attention?

 

Well, let’s go!

The main character of the novel is a 13-year-old witch, Kiki, who, according to custom, leaves her homeland to move to another city with her cat Jiji and become independent. By the way, she will have to find a job for herself there. Since she is great at flying on a broomstick, she decides to open a post office and carry all sorts of packages for her clients. Initially, this task is very difficult, because people treat the girl with distrust and are not very willing to use her services. Thanks to the help of the lady from the bakery, however, she manages to open a business and start to convince the inhabitants of Koriko.

For children?

There is no denying that Kiki ‘s Skymail is primarily intended for younger recipients. The style of writing itself is proof of that. It is simpler than in more serious novels and contains a lot of humor aimed at kids. The plot itself does not contain drastic scenes, and the heroine herself always comes out of trouble unscathed. However, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Your children will have a great time while reading, and the older ones will not be bored. All you need is the right attitude.

Eiko Kadono included several very important messages in the content. First of all, it shows that you must never give up and face adversity. We also have a lesson in tolerance. After all, people from Koriko, who have never had contact with a witch before, are guided only by stereotypes and prejudices, not even giving Kiki the opportunity to show what she really is. And although the novel was published 37 years ago, this message is most up-to-date, especially today, when we so often struggle with the problem of discrimination. Of course, there is also the power of friendship, thanks to which we are able to endure the worst moments. The story is therefore not only funny, but also very wise and worth acquainting the younger ones with it. At the same time, adults will also be able to learn something.

for the fans?

Probably many people will reach for the novel primarily because of the Studio Ghibli animation of the same title based on it. Will it be a good decision? I think so. Fans shouldn’t be disappointed. Although the director and screenwriter of the film, Hayao Miyazaki, introduced a lot of changes and made the production more mature than its original, but the main characters and the main idea have been preserved. It is also worth rediscovering the whole story, getting to know the threads unused by the filmmakers, thinking about what they would look like on screen and checking how it was with Kiki originally.

Welcome to Poland, Kiki!

We had to wait a long time for the young witch to finally come to our country, but better late than never! And her visit became possible thanks to the Kirin publishing house, which deals primarily with the broadly understood promotion of Japanese culture. In the case of Kiki ‘s Skymail, it is worth praising not only the fact that we were allowed to read this story, but also that care was taken for the graphic design. Although there are not many pictures, they certainly make reading more pleasant and are a nice addition, especially for the target group, i.e. younger readers. Magdalena Danielewicz is responsible for the drawings. Personally, I like the fact that the illustrator did not rely on Miyazaki’s film, but gave us her own version of Kiki, Jiji and their friends.

You will be enchanted!

Kiki ‘s Delivery Service is definitely worth our attention. It should be remembered that it is addressed primarily to children, and they will have a great time with it, and they will also learn a lot. They can read it themselves, but if it becomes a bedtime story read by parents, then surely the guardians will not tire of it and will be drawn into the young witch’s extraordinary adventure. Animation fans will not be disappointed either. So get on your brooms and go!