40 Forever:Puppetry and children's librarianship

Monday, March 8, 2010

Puppetry and children’s librarianship

Believe it or not, puppetry can be serious business. (The University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts even offers a BFA degree in
puppetry!) Here are some academic books about puppetry:

Harris, John Wesley. The
Traditional Theatre of Japan: Kyogen, Noh, Kabuki, and Puppetry.
Lewiston,
N.Y.: Edwin Mellen
Press, 2006.

Jurkowski, Henryk, and
Penny Francis. A
History of European Puppetry. Lewiston: Edwin Mellen Press,
1996

Bell, John. American
Puppet Modernism Essays on the Material World in Performance.
New
York, NY: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2008.

Blumenthal, Eileen. Puppetry:
A World History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, 2005.

Herbert, Mimi, and Nur S. Rahardjo. Voices
of the Puppet Masters: The Wayang Golek Theater of Indonesia.
Jakarta:
Lontar
Foundation, 2002.

Ewart, Franzeska G.
Let the Shadows Speak: Developing Children’s Language Through Shadow
Puppetry.
Stoke on
Trent, Staffordshire,
England: Trentham
Books, 1998.

Here are some more entertaining titles:

Anderson, Dee.
Amazingly Easy Puppet Plays: 42 New Scripts for One-Person Puppetry.
Chicago: American Library Association, 1997.

Spinney, Caroll, and J. Milligan. The
Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons
from a Life in Feathers.
New York: Villard, 2003.

Nathanson, Bob, and Robert Garber. The
Diary of a Doll Wiggler: A Bob’s-Eye View into the Wacky and Wonderful
World of Puppetry.
North
Vancouver, B.C.: Charlemagne Press, 2008.

*Bryant, Jill, Catherine Heard, and Laura Watson. Making
Shadow Puppets.
Kids
can do it. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2002.

Puppetry and children’s librarianship go hand in hand. Puppets are a great way to bring children’s literature to life, and they also help develop narrative skills in early learners. Here are some incredible puppeteers who have performed at our library:

Bob Nathanson’s
Puppets to Go

Duck in Truck Puppets

Mr. Brian and the Boppets

And, of course, the award-winning Shermanettes!

Thanks to a generous grant from the Charles P. Ferro Foundation, tomorrow we are offering an amazing program for teenagers and adults:

You
will need these supplies:
*pencil
*thin
cardboard
*scissors
*tape
*desk
lamp or flashlight
*cereal box
*sheet of thin white paper
*drinking straws

How to make puppets:
* Draw or trace a puppet shape directly onto
the cardboard.
* Cut the puppet
shape out of the cardboard.
*
Tape a straw to the back of each puppet piece.

How to make a stage:
*Cut a large rectangle out of the front and
back of a cereal box.
(Don’t
throw out the rectangles. You can use them to make
more puppets!)
*Turn the box onto its side.
*Tape the paper over the front side of the box.
(This side will face your audience.)
*Shine a light out from behind the stage.

Now you are ready to put on a show!