Performing Kamishibai: An Emerging New Literacy for a Global Audience

Kamishibai (paper-theater), a Japanese picture-storytelling medium, is gaining global interest as we move from a text-based culture to one that emphasizes multiple semiotic systems and performance. This is the first volume to explore the potential of kamishibai as a dynamic "new" interactive medium for teaching multimodal communication. By examining the multiple modes involved in kamishibai through actual student performances, this volume overturns commonly held expectations about literacy in the classroom and provides a critical perspective on assumptions about other media.