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Books that inspired Studio Ghibli movies
26
items I rewatch these films constantly, so going back to find the books and stories behind them felt like getting the director's commentary. If you love the films, this is the deeper cut.
Sections
4
My favourite 5
Top Series
Main List
New Releases 2026
My favourite 5
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 9+
A young witch moves to a new town to complete her training year, starting a delivery business with the help of her talking cat.
Gentle, charming and the direct inspiration for the beloved Ghibli film.
A young witch moves to a new town to complete her training year, starting a delivery business with the help of her talking cat.
Gentle, charming and the direct inspiration for the beloved Ghibli film.
Kiki's Delivery Service - by Eiko Kadono
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 11+
A young woman cursed into an old woman’s body finds refuge in the walking castle of a vain, mysterious wizard.
Funnier and even stranger than the film — a genuine fantasy classic in its own right.
A young woman cursed into an old woman’s body finds refuge in the walking castle of a vain, mysterious wizard.
Funnier and even stranger than the film — a genuine fantasy classic in its own right.
Howl's Moving Castle - by Diana Wynne Jones
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 10+
A lonely girl sent to the countryside for her health befriends a mysterious girl living in an old house across the marsh.
Quietly moving, with a gentle mystery at its heart — the basis for the Ghibli film of the same name.
A lonely girl sent to the countryside for her health befriends a mysterious girl living in an old house across the marsh.
Quietly moving, with a gentle mystery at its heart — the basis for the Ghibli film of the same name.
When Marnie Was There - by Joan G. Robinson
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 10+
A bookish teenage girl discovers a mysterious recurring name in library books and follows it toward self-discovery — the manga behind the film.
Gentle, hopeful, and a lovely read for anyone who loved the film.
A bookish teenage girl discovers a mysterious recurring name in library books and follows it toward self-discovery — the manga behind the film.
Gentle, hopeful, and a lovely read for anyone who loved the film.
Whisper of the Heart - by Aoi Hiiragi
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 10+
A girl wanders into a strange town full of spirits and magic while working at a mysterious inn — widely cited as an inspiration for Spirited Away.
A charming, atmospheric read for anyone who loves Spirited Away’s world.
A girl wanders into a strange town full of spirits and magic while working at a mysterious inn — widely cited as an inspiration for Spirited Away.
A charming, atmospheric read for anyone who loves Spirited Away’s world.
The Marvelous Village Beyond the Mist - Kashiwaba
Top Series
Top Series: Books that inspired Studio Ghibli movies
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 11+
The full trilogy behind the film — Howl’s Moving Castle, Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways — following the same enchanted world.
Just as whimsical as the film, with two more books’ worth of world to explore.
The full trilogy behind the film — Howl’s Moving Castle, Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways — following the same enchanted world.
Just as whimsical as the film, with two more books’ worth of world to explore.
Howl's Moving Castle series - by Diana Wynne Jones
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 13+
The full Earthsea series that Tales from Earthsea drew from — a young wizard’s journey across a vast archipelago of islands and magic.
One of fantasy’s great foundational series, richer than any single film could capture.
The full Earthsea series that Tales from Earthsea drew from — a young wizard’s journey across a vast archipelago of islands and magic.
One of fantasy’s great foundational series, richer than any single film could capture.
The Earthsea series - by Ursula K. Le Guin
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 13+
Miyazaki’s own seven-volume manga epic, the deeper and fuller story behind his early film of the same name.
Contains war violence throughout — verify before publishing.
Miyazaki’s own seven-volume manga epic, the deeper and fuller story behind his early film of the same name.
Contains war violence throughout — verify before publishing.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Manga
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 8+
The full five-book series following the tiny Clock family as they’re forced from their home and must find new ones — the source behind Arrietty.
A classic adventure series, gentle and inventive from start to finish.
The full five-book series following the tiny Clock family as they’re forced from their home and must find new ones — the source behind Arrietty.
A classic adventure series, gentle and inventive from start to finish.
The Borrowers series - by Mary Norton
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 9+
The two connected manga behind Whisper of the Heart and its spin-off The Cat Returns, sharing the same whimsical world.
A lovely paired read for fans of either film.
The two connected manga behind Whisper of the Heart and its spin-off The Cat Returns, sharing the same whimsical world.
A lovely paired read for fans of either film.
Aoi Hiiragi's Whisper of the Heart & Cat Returns
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 13+
A father-daughter duo in Kyoto track down and recreate the forgotten dishes their clients remember from meaningful moments in their lives.
A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.
Cosy, food-and-memory driven storytelling with real Ghibli-adjacent charm.
A father-daughter duo in Kyoto track down and recreate the forgotten dishes their clients remember from meaningful moments in their lives.
A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.
Cosy, food-and-memory driven storytelling with real Ghibli-adjacent charm.
Kamogawa Food Detectives Series by Kashiwai
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 14+
A wild and willful young woman finds herself at the center of a tale of spirits, ancient evils, and the mysterious winter-king Frost—in the lyrical first novel of the Winternight Trilogy.
Folkloric, atmospheric and richly imagined — a perfect companion for Ghibli’s nature-spirit stories.
A wild and willful young woman finds herself at the center of a tale of spirits, ancient evils, and the mysterious winter-king Frost—in the lyrical first novel of the Winternight Trilogy.
Folkloric, atmospheric and richly imagined — a perfect companion for Ghibli’s nature-spirit stories.
Winternight Trilogy - by Katherine Arden
Main List
Main List: Books that inspired Studio Ghibli movies
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 8+
A family of tiny people live secretly beneath the floorboards of a house, ‘borrowing’ what they need from the humans above.
Whimsical and inventive — the inspiration for Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty.
A family of tiny people live secretly beneath the floorboards of a house, ‘borrowing’ what they need from the humans above.
Whimsical and inventive — the inspiration for Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty.
The Borrowers - by Mary Norton
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 13+
A collection of stories set in the Earthsea archipelago, exploring magic, dragons and the balance between power and humility.
Rich, thoughtful fantasy that loosely inspired Ghibli’s Tales from Earthsea film.
A collection of stories set in the Earthsea archipelago, exploring magic, dragons and the balance between power and humility.
Rich, thoughtful fantasy that loosely inspired Ghibli’s Tales from Earthsea film.
Tales from Earthsea - by Ursula K. Le Guin
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 14+
A semi-autobiographical novel about two siblings struggling to survive in Japan during the final months of WWII — the source for the film of the same name.
Devastating and essential — depicts wartime death and loss directly, so verify before publishing.
A semi-autobiographical novel about two siblings struggling to survive in Japan during the final months of WWII — the source for the film of the same name.
Devastating and essential — depicts wartime death and loss directly, so verify before publishing.
Grave of the Fireflies - by Akiyuki Nosaka
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 14+
A quiet, lyrical novel about a young man and his fiancée’s illness, whose title and mood inspired Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises.
One of the source texts behind The Wind Rises, alongside the life of aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi.
A quiet, lyrical novel about a young man and his fiancée’s illness, whose title and mood inspired Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises.
One of the source texts behind The Wind Rises, alongside the life of aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi.
The Wind Has Risen - by Tatsuo Hori
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 9+
The manga that inspired the film — a girl who saves a cat prince is whisked into a magical, slightly menacing Cat Kingdom.
Whimsical and fun, with the same charm as the film.
The manga that inspired the film — a girl who saves a cat prince is whisked into a magical, slightly menacing Cat Kingdom.
Whimsical and fun, with the same charm as the film.
The Cat Returns (Baron: The Cat Returns) by Aoi Hiiragi
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 8+
The classic fairy tale of a mermaid who longs to become human — a loose inspiration behind Miyazaki’s Ponyo.
The original, much darker version of the story Ponyo reimagines.
The classic fairy tale of a mermaid who longs to become human — a loose inspiration behind Miyazaki’s Ponyo.
The original, much darker version of the story Ponyo reimagines.
The Little Mermaid - by Hans Christian Andersen
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 10+
Japan’s oldest surviving narrative, about a mysterious girl found inside a glowing bamboo stalk — the source for The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
A beautiful, ancient folktale well worth reading on its own terms.
Japan’s oldest surviving narrative, about a mysterious girl found inside a glowing bamboo stalk — the source for The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
A beautiful, ancient folktale well worth reading on its own terms.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter - Anonymous
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 13+
Miyazaki’s own epic manga about a princess protecting her people in a toxic, post-apocalyptic world — the deeper, fuller story behind his early film of the same name.
Richer and more complex than the film — contains war violence, so verify before publishing.
Miyazaki’s own epic manga about a princess protecting her people in a toxic, post-apocalyptic world — the deeper, fuller story behind his early film of the same name.
Richer and more complex than the film — contains war violence, so verify before publishing.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Miyazaki
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 12+
A group of rabbits journeys across the English countryside to find a new home, in a story full of myth, nature and quiet peril.
Not a direct source, but a kindred spirit to Ghibli’s pastoral, nature-steeped storytelling — contains animal peril, so verify before publishing.
A group of rabbits journeys across the English countryside to find a new home, in a story full of myth, nature and quiet peril.
Not a direct source, but a kindred spirit to Ghibli’s pastoral, nature-steeped storytelling — contains animal peril, so verify before publishing.
Watership Down - by Richard Adams
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 10+
A strange little girl with a gift for listening battles the grey men who are stealing people’s time — a whimsical European fantasy classic.
A lovely reading companion for Ghibli fans, in the same gentle, wondrous register.
A strange little girl with a gift for listening battles the grey men who are stealing people’s time — a whimsical European fantasy classic.
A lovely reading companion for Ghibli fans, in the same gentle, wondrous register.
Momo - by Michael Ende
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 13+
A man and his cat take a road trip to visit old friends, slowly revealing why the journey matters so much.
Gentle, bittersweet and full of the same warmth as a Ghibli film.
A man and his cat take a road trip to visit old friends, slowly revealing why the journey matters so much.
Gentle, bittersweet and full of the same warmth as a Ghibli film.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles - by Hiro Arikawa
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 13+
A father-daughter duo in Kyoto track down and recreate the forgotten dishes their clients remember from meaningful moments in their lives.
Cosy, food-and-memory driven storytelling with real Ghibli-adjacent charm.
A father-daughter duo in Kyoto track down and recreate the forgotten dishes their clients remember from meaningful moments in their lives.
Cosy, food-and-memory driven storytelling with real Ghibli-adjacent charm.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives - by Hisashi Kashiwai
★★★★½ (4.5/5) — Ages 14+
In the wild heart of medieval Russia, a girl with a gift for seeing the old spirits must protect her family and village from a growing darkness.
Folkloric, atmospheric and richly imagined — a perfect companion for Ghibli’s nature-spirit stories.
In the wild heart of medieval Russia, a girl with a gift for seeing the old spirits must protect her family and village from a growing darkness.
Folkloric, atmospheric and richly imagined — a perfect companion for Ghibli’s nature-spirit stories.
The Bear and the Nightingale - by Katherine Arden
New Releases 2026
New Releases 2026: Books that inspired Studio Ghibli movies
★★★★ (4/5) — Ages 14+
A woman inherits her family’s mystical Tokyo pawnshop, where lost dreams and mistakes can be traded, and finds herself swept into a magical, folklore-steeped journey.
2025 release — whimsical, gentle fantasy explicitly compared to Ghibli’s films by reviewers.
A woman inherits her family’s mystical Tokyo pawnshop, where lost dreams and mistakes can be traded, and finds herself swept into a magical, folklore-steeped journey.
2025 release — whimsical, gentle fantasy explicitly compared to Ghibli’s films by reviewers.
Water Moon - by Samantha Sotto Yambao