Colorful picture cards slide through a small wooden stage as the narrator brings the story to life with a vivid voice, making the experience feel almost cinematic. The tale is a blend of fantasy and magic—an adventure about a tiny boy born to an elderly couple after years of longing for a child.
The children listened intently, their eyes wide open, eager to know what would happen next.
The Denton Public Library hosted Kamishibai, a traditional form of Japanese storytelling, at the Emily Fowler branch near Quakertown Park on May 28 to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
“I chose the Japanese storytelling because, as a librarian, I participate in a lot of the storytelling, and it’s a really wonderful connection for our usual groups that come in,” said Stacy Slattery, youth services librarian and Denton resident. “[It] is extremely accessible and interesting, and it celebrates part of our community.”
Slattery said the event was part of the library’s cultural appreciation performances, which are an effort to highlight different traditions and heritages throughout the entire year.
Keiko Yokoyama, the storyteller at the event and a language instructor, explained that Kamishibai is a “picture-card show” with ancient origins, in which the narrator uses large color pictures and dramatic narration to present stories.
“When there was no book, no TV., it was the very traditional storytelling to the children in public,” Yokoyama said.
Yokoyama said she has been working with the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth for the past couple of years. According to its website, the organization aims to promote friendship and cultural understanding between Japanese and American communities in Dallas and offers programs that introduce Japanese culture, customs and daily life to children.
“I’m living in [the U.S.] more than 25 years, but I’m still kind of holding a Japanese tradition,” Yokoyama said. “Then I can share. I can contribute, and then I can kind of take a bridge between the two countries for friendship.”
Yokoyama started the event by teaching children some basic Japanese greetings and words. She then presented the story, “The One-Inch Boy,” a tale illustrating how a boy who was born as small as a thumb grows and conquers difficulties with courage, hard work and wisdom.
Yokoyama said children were excited to hear about the story, especially when the villain appeared.
“I enjoy all the kids around, and I can feel their enthusiasm,” Yokoyama said. “You know, that’s kind of neat.”
After concluding the story, Yokoyama introduced origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. Each child received colored papers and created crafts from them.
Parent and Denton resident Keverlie Jones said she often takes her daughter to the library for storytime, and that her daughter “had a blast” at the event.
“She loves the library,” Jones said. “She loves to hear stories, and I love culture, so I want her to learn about culture.”
Slattery described the event as a “wonderful celebration.”
“We had so many people, and they were very excited to be here, and that’s pretty much what we see when we are doing these programs,” Slattery said. “The community absolutely loves it. They like seeing different cultures. People who are of that culture love seeing it [reflected] in their community around them.”
Slattery said the library will host other cultural appreciation events during the summer, including a Los Mariachi Locos performance on June 7 and Juneteenth 101 on June 18.
The library is also hosting a summer reading challenge titled “Color Our World” through July 31, in which participants can win prizes and free books by reading.
Slattery said the cultural appreciation programs have become more frequent in recent years, which she says is part of a plan to attract more people to the library.
“It’s become more of a strategic plan point where we want to be very inclusive and celebrate our entire community, and not just bits and pieces of it,” Slattery said.
AloJapan.com