Kiki's delivery service by Eiko Kadono illustrated by Joe Todd Stanton translated by Emily Balistrieri

In the world of this story, when witches reach the age of ten, they must decide whether to follow the family tradition and live as witches themselves.  Kiki's mother is a witch skilled in using herbs to make sneeze medicine and she can use her broomstick for flying. Kiki's dad is human with an interest in folklore. At age ten, Kiki decides she will follow her mother and become a witch but over the years it seems witches' powers are become weaker. Kiki has no skill with herbs but at least she can fly so on her coming of age day, at the start of her thirteenth year, it is time for Kiki to leave. Her task is to find a new town or village in need of magic. 

Kiki sets off with her cat companion Jiji. Her journey takes her to the town of Koriko where she sets up her delivery service. You will enjoy discovering all the quirky, heartfelt and even strange things she is asked to deliver. I especially enjoyed the day Kiki goes to the beach.

Blurb: "Witch in training Kiki and her cat Jiji are determined to find their own way in the world. Kiki isn't great at spells so she sets up her own magical flying delivery service, using her broomstick to deliver all over their new town. But there always seems to be trouble in the air."

Kiki's delivery service would make a great book as a family or class read aloud book because each chapter is reads like a short story. 

Families looking for a book to share will appreciate the episodic chapters. An enchanting, gently humorous all-ages family read-aloud. Kirkus

Eiko Kadono was inspired to write this story after she saw a drawing done by her then twelve year old daughter of a witch flying through the sky, listening to a radio. Eiko wanted to her witch character to have just one magical power - in this case flying - allowing Kiki to use her brain power to solve problems. 

First came the book in Japanese with the title Majyo no Takkyubin in 1985 by Hans Christian Andersen award winner Eiko Kadono; then came the anime film from Studio Ghibli; and now, hooray, Penguin Random House have published an English translation with illustrations and a really cute cover by Joe Todd Stanton. I have discovered this is not the first English translation. There was one done in 2003 by Annick Press and illustrated by Akiko Hayashi.

You can see another English version and read an extract and listen to an audio sample here.

Versions of the story about Kiki are also available in Italian, Swedish, Chinese, Indonesian and French. In Japan there are five books about Kiki and her delivery service. Here are three of them:

Here are some images from the Anime version of this story: