PuppeTales article (Feb. 2008) Part 1

Here's Part ONE of my PuppeTales article for Mr. Anderson's Company! Download the entire newsletter here!

Creating a Storytime Mascot!

In many libraries, and classrooms, it is traditional to sit the children down on the floor and read them a story. This is a wonderful time to introduce whimsy and play to children and one of the ways to do that is to create and use a storytime mascot!

There are many ways to use a puppet as your mascot! You can pick a single puppet to read stories to the children for storytime, or you can rotate a “team” of mascots to read stories that “fit” them (I.e. a bug for bug books, a dog for stories about dogs, etc.). Generally, I use only animals for storytelling. It reminds me of Aesop’s Fables, in that the individual hearing the story can see bits of themselves portrayed by the animals and identifies with them.

How can you use these puppets to read stories? Simple! Pick a puppet with a moving mouth and a full body! You can sit the puppet in your lap and use one hand to hold/operate the puppet and the other to hold the book. Now, here’s fun tip on using full bodied puppets: pick on that had good “arms” on it and those puppet arms can help you balance the book on your lap and act as page holders! For this “season” of storytime, many people are trying to use bugs to keep with the theme “Catch the Reading Bug”. Ithink this is a wonderful idea and have spotted a great little character that fits the mascot needs! Gund has a great full body character line called “Kooky Kreatures” that features an ant (I’ll admit to having one myself...full disclosure!)! Is the bug thing too much for you? Well, my FIRST storytime love was a sitting dog created by Folkmanis. He was sitting up to “beg” and had the sweetest face! His hands were perfect for holding a book! I don’t know if they still make this little guy but, if not, I’m sure there are alternatives! (Turns out, they DO! Check him out here