On Feb. 18 and 19, Kamishibai storytellers presented their art at San Marcos CISD. The storytellers, visiting from Japan and Peru, presented to the second grade students in all seven of SMCISDs elementary schools. They also did a free event for the community at the Price Center on Feb. 18. Over 100 people attended Kamishibai is a storytelling art form that originated in Japan. The name comes from a blend of words in Japanese: kami (paper) and shibai (theater). In this Japanese storytelling tradition, a storyteller reveals a series of illustrations as the narrative unfolds. The storytellers use voice intonation, facial expressions and manipulation of the illustration cards to make their stories come to life.
The second grade audiences learned about Japanese culture and storytelling while engaging in an educational experience connected to language arts — literacy, visual arts, drama, social studies and even STEM.
Photos courtesy of Jesse Gainer.
