Kadono Eiko and the Power of Imagination
I have written many children’s stories/for a long time. You may know one of my works,/Kiki’s Delivery Service . It was translated into English,/French,/Swedish,/and many other languages.
A young witch,/Kiki,/is the main character/of the story. At the age of 13,/she leaves her home/in order to become a real witch. She flies on her broom/to a new town with a cat/named Jiji. She starts a delivery service/and works hard/to be accepted/in her new community. She shows readers/how to live in a positive way.
I have always enjoyed writing stories/throughout my life. So I am honored/that I received the Hans Christian Andersen Award/in 2018.
Kiki’s Delivery Service and my other works/were born from my imagination. It developed during my childhood.
When I was five,/my mother passed away. During the obon period,/my father used to speak to her/as if she were there. He said to her,/“Welcome back. We moved the furniture. Be careful/not to bump into anything.” Although I could not see my mother,/I believed/that she was with us. I became curious/about the invisible world.
I always liked stories/when I was a child. I often asked my father/to read stories to me. When I became a teenager,/I read books every single day. I especially loved stories/with happy endings.
When I create a story,/the images of the characters/are important. Kiki’s Delivery Service was born/from my daughter’s drawing. It was a simple picture/of a witch on a broom. The picture made me imagine the character. I imagined/that a young girl like my daughter/was flying over skyscrapers/in New York.
The names of the characters/are also essential. When I was young,/I didn’t like school. However,/my teacher remembered my given name/and called me “Eiko chan ”/one day. I felt very happy. So when I write stories,/I think carefully/about the names of the characters. Once I named the witch “Kiki”,/I felt/that she was next to me. She whispered,/“Let’s fly together.”
I like to experience something new. This influences my stories/as well as my life. When I was 24,/I decided to live in Brazil/with my husband. I was really looking forward to seeing/a new world. I felt my heart beating.
Kiki has a similar experience. When she leaves home/for an unknown town,/Jiji asks,/“Are you sure/you want to be a witch?” She replies,/“Yes. I’ve already made up my mind/by myself.” Actually,/Kiki is happy/when she leaves. She says,/“I am so excited. It’s like opening a gift box.”
This feeling is/exactly how I felt/when I headed for Brazil. Jumping into a new world/always inspires me/and expands my imagination.
I have written many children’s stories/for a long time. You may know one of my works,/Kiki’s Delivery Service . It was translated into English,/French,/Swedish,/and many other languages.
A young witch,/Kiki,/is the main character/of the story. At the age of 13,/she leaves her home/in order to become a real witch. She flies on her broom/to a new town with a cat/named Jiji. She starts a delivery service/and works hard/to be accepted/in her new community. She shows readers/how to live in a positive way.
I have always enjoyed writing stories/throughout my life. So I am honored/that I received the Hans Christian Andersen Award/in 2018.
Kiki’s Delivery Service and my other works/were born from my imagination. It developed during my childhood.
When I was five,/my mother passed away. During the obon period,/my father used to speak to her/as if she were there. He said to her,/“Welcome back. We moved the furniture. Be careful/not to bump into anything.” Although I could not see my mother,/I believed/that she was with us. I became curious/about the invisible world.
I always liked stories/when I was a child. I often asked my father/to read stories to me. When I became a teenager,/I read books every single day. I especially loved stories/with happy endings.
When I create a story,/the images of the characters/are important. Kiki’s Delivery Service was born/from my daughter’s drawing. It was a simple picture/of a witch on a broom. The picture made me imagine the character. I imagined/that a young girl like my daughter/was flying over skyscrapers/in New York.
The names of the characters/are also essential. When I was young,/I didn’t like school. However,/my teacher remembered my given name/and called me “Eiko chan ”/one day. I felt very happy. So when I write stories,/I think carefully/about the names of the characters. Once I named the witch “Kiki”,/I felt/that she was next to me. She whispered,/“Let’s fly together.”
I like to experience something new. This influences my stories/as well as my life. When I was 24,/I decided to live in Brazil/with my husband. I was really looking forward to seeing/a new world. I felt my heart beating.
Kiki has a similar experience. When she leaves home/for an unknown town,/Jiji asks,/“Are you sure/you want to be a witch?” She replies,/“Yes. I’ve already made up my mind/by myself.” Actually,/Kiki is happy/when she leaves. She says,/“I am so excited. It’s like opening a gift box.”
This feeling is/exactly how I felt/when I headed for Brazil. Jumping into a new world/always inspires me/and expands my imagination.