Kamishibai Man

Citation: Say, Allen. 2005. Kamishibai Man. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0-61847954-6.

Plot Summary: Kamishibai Man is a lovely story of an old storyteller, the Kamishibai man, and his desire to continue in the job he loves. With the evolution of television and technology the job of a storyteller is pretty much nonexistent. But with time people learn to appreciate the things of the past and Tiichan/Grandpa finds his place again.

Critical Analysis: Kamishibai Man is a beautifully illustrated story of a storyteller who lost his place in the world due to televisions and the hustle and bustle of modern life. Allen Say does an excellent job in expressing the innocent old man's feelings of confusion and despair through both the illustrations and the story. The story begins in the hillside of China and then takes us to the city where Tiichan goes to tell has stories. No kamishibai man is complete without great candies. These candies are made by Grandma/Baachan. She is portrayed as the quiet Chinese wife who stays behind the scenes, but is integral to his success. Throughout the story there are a few cultural markers but not so many that the reader feels as if they are being pushed into the Asian culture. The story is subtly laid with Chinese characters who are dealing with age and change. The reverence that the Chinese have for their elderly is evident toward the end of the story, as is their resilience to change. As an adult reader I had to read it a few times to really see how the story was being told and to who. I think that for a young reader it would have to be reviewed.

Reviews Accessed: From School Library Journal Grade 1-5–An elderly kamishibai (paper theater) man decides to return to the city and spend the day on his former rounds. His wife makes candies for him, just as in the past, and he sets off on his bicycle. Things have changed–there's traffic with honking horns and he wonders who needs to buy so many things and eat so many different foods? When he sees the shops and restaurants replacing beautiful trees that have been cut, He sets up his theater and begins to tell his personal story of being a kamishibai man in a flashback sequence. Soon he is surrounded by adults who remember him and his stories from their youth. Ironically, that night he is featured on the news on television–the very technology that replaced him. Say's distinctive style and facial expressions are especially touching. A foreword gives readers a glimpse of the importance of the kamishibai man in the author's early life, and an afterword provides a historical look at the forgotten art form. From Booklist Gr. 1-3. In a foreword, Say explains that Kamishibai means "Paper Theater" and that years ago Kamishibai men were itinerant storytellers who traveled around Japan on bicycles with a big, wooden box mounted on the back seat. The box contained a miniature theater, and beneath it were drawers of candy that the performer sold to eke out a living. As a storyteller spun his tale, he used picture cards to illustrate dramatic points, finishing each time with a cliffhanger designed to entice the children in his audience to come back another time to hear the continuation of the story. Say's lovely new book is about an elderly Kamishibai man, long retired, who, missing his rounds, decides to pedal back to the old neighborhood for one last performance.

Connections: Say, Allen. Tree of Cranes. 039552024X. Say, Allen. The Bicycle Man. ISBN: 0395506522. Young, Ed. Beyond the Great Mountains. ISBN: 0811843432