Come listen to a bilingual story in Japanese and English!
Bring your children to East Asian Story Time and enjoy a Kamishibai story.
A popular form of street theater in the 1930s and post-war Japan, Kamishibai (紙芝居) or “paper play” is a set of illustrated boards or cards that tell a story. This month will feature the The Story of Tanabata. In the story, the Weaver Princess, who is responsible for weaving the fine cloth used to make the robes of the celestial deities, falls in love with the Herdsman who is responsible for looking after the celestial oxen. They marry but are so in love that they completely neglect their duties. This angers the Heavenly Ruler, so he separates them. Eventually, the Heavenly Ruler is moved by their heartbroken pleas, and gives permission for the two to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month.
Co-sponsored by The Urbana Free Library and the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Illinois. You can attend in-person or by watching a live stream of the program on Zoom. Register in advance to receive a link to watch the program online.
Conveniently located at the corner of Race and Green in downtown Urbana.
