With a more thematic approach, it was logical that all characters in the book should be part of the water puppet world to fully draw in the readers. A more thematic and mood-based approach was chosen instead. In these original ideas, most characters live, breath and work outside of the water puppet world, which lessen the sense of wonder for water puppet that the book is trying to create. Such story-heavy approaches, however, were deemed not suitable for this project, as they focus too heavily on the non-water puppet aspect. Another idea involved a little prince and his water puppet friends. One initial idea was to create a Vietnamese version of Pinocchio, telling the story of a puppet master and his desire to bring puppets to life. Initially, various options were considered for the concept of the childrenвЂ™s picture book. A childrenвЂ™s picture book was chosen as the format to meet the projectвЂ™s objectives, as it was the most suitable because it gives readers a sense of tranquility and wonder that is so unique to Vietnamese water puppetry. Together with me on this journey, providing the scriptwriting, was Tran Thi Minh Hieu, an experienced translator with Kim Dong Publishing House. Through my illustrations for the Wandering Water Puppet project, I hope to raise awareness of the art. Given the incredible sense of imagination and creativity that exist in their performances, it is a regret that locals, especially children, rarely take an interest in this art form. However, water puppetry is rarely seen by the Vietnamese and is usually touted mostly as a tourist attraction.

Even viewers not familiar with the folklore portrayed by the water puppet performances are still drawn to the world this fascinating traditional art creates. Vietnamese water puppetry is renowned for its unique atmosphere that features friendly yet mystical settings and characters. Behind the scenes of the making of a childrenвЂ™s picture book

Vietnamese water puppetry symbolism