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Every culture, every library, every person has a story to tell.   Let puppets help tell these stories.

Easy Ways at Use Puppets in your Library Program

• Master of Ceremonies.
  Use a single puppet to become the mascot or master of ceremonies for your library program. 
   

• Collaborate with Others.
  Puppets make for great multi-disciplinary collaborations. Puppetry can incorporate any or all of these subjects: language, theater, science, mathematics, art, movement, social studies, history.
   

• Quick Shadow Shows.
  Use die cutting machines (like Ellison/Accu-Cut) to quickly make lots of silhouettes. Mount using a straw or bamboo barbeque skewer (clip off the point) mounted with masking tape. Use an overhead projector to show your shadows.
   

• Celebrate!  

  • Why not celebrate Earth Day with recycled puppets?

  • Did you know there's an Annual National Day of Puppetry? It's the last Saturday of April.

Resource Suggestions
There is a wealth of information on puppetry. 
Here are two of my favorite books, plus some web resources where you can find more.

• Leading kids to books through puppets.
  Caroline Feller Bauer. Chicago : ALA Editions, c1997. ISBN: 0-8389-0706-7
  The best book I've seen about using puppets in libraries. Many simple-to-use
  tips from a practitioner about incorporating puppetry in your library.. 

• The Art of the Puppet
  Bil Baird. New York : Crown Press, c1973.
  This is my all time favorite book about puppetry. Although out-of-print, this title is definitely worth getting for you and your library. Lush photographs of puppets from around the world with a text by a master American puppeteer.. 

• Puppetry Home Page    
  www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/
  A labor of love between a professional puppeteer (Nick Barone) and a computer programmer (Rose Sage) who met at a puppet festival, fell in love, started this online resource, and recently married. This site is chock full of information and presented with a very personal flavor. It's the best single site for kids doing projects about puppetry.
  
  Puppeteer Nick Barone's gives his personal picks on all aspects of puppetry, with links to sources for detailed bibliographic info and/or purchase at www.puppetbuilder.com/books/index.html.

• Puppetry Store  http://store.puppeteers.org.
  This service of the Puppeteers of America offers a great selection of both popular and hard-to-find titles. Especially check the "Education" section. 

Organizations

• Puppeteers of America     www.puppeteers.org/
  The organization to join if you're interested in puppets and puppetry. Among the many services offered to members are education and library consultants who can be contacted free-of-charge for advice/suggestions. Also check links for the puppet guilds affiliated with PofA to find local people interested/experienced in puppetry. 
  

• Center for Puppet Arts in Atlanta     www.puppet.org
  The Center is premiere puppet theater, with a puppetry museum and active outreach program. 
  

• UNIMA    www.unima-usa.org/
  The Union Internationale de la Marionnette is the oldest international theatre organization in the world, founded in 1929. The organization's mission is to promote international understanding and friendship through the art of puppetry. You'll find great links here for puppet companies around the world.

Conferences/Festivals

• Puppeteers of America (PofA) Festivals    http://www.puppeteers.org/festivals
  On ODD numbered years (like 2003) PofA sponsors a week-long national festival during the summer.
  On EVEN numbered years (like 2002) PofA Guilds across the country sponsor shorter (2-4 day) regional festivals.  There's a festival at Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania on July 11-14, 2002.
  

• Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater   www.hensonfestival.org/
  Started by Muppet creator Jim Henson, the Henson Foundation sponsors an International Festival of puppetry in New York City, which later tours the US. This is usually given during EVEN numbered years (like 2002). 

Sources for Puppets

• Ask for them. You never know what amazing things you'll be given!
   

• Look for them. I've found great buys at yard sales and thrift stores. 
   

• Make them. Check out the resources section above for many books about making all kinds of puppets.
   

• Buy them.
  Here are two companies which have inventive, well-made hand puppets:

  • Folkmanis Puppets www.folkmanis.com
    High quality animal, people and fantasy puppets often linked with folktales.
     

  • Velcro® Puppet Playhouse http://www.rscs.net/~ap3001/PUPPETSforsale.html
    Professional puppeteers Andrew and Bonnie Periale, of Perry Alley Theatre, have designed a number of puppet sets for VELCRO® Toys. Three puppet bodies and 40 "velcro-able" parts (eyes, mouths, hair, costumes) enable you to make dozens of characters. Six fairy tale scripts are included. Additional sets of "body parts" are also available.