Hand Puppets: How to Make and Use Them

Introduce children to the fascinating world of puppetry with this unique book by former teacher-librarian and veteran puppeteer Laura Ross. Step-by-step instructions and clear diagrams help beginners create captivating paper-bag puppets, rod puppets for shadow plays, and papier-mâché puppets with their own cloth costumes.
Large, easy-to-read type and full-size traceable patterns show would-be puppeteers how to master basic skills: dressing and handling puppets, setting up a stage, and writing and producing an original show. In addition, newcomers to the craft will learn how to manipulate characters in three puppet plays: Rumpelstiltskin, Punch and Judy, and A Visit from Outer Space (an original play by the author). There are also suggestions for acting out the story of "Peter and the Wolf" with puppets while listening to the delightful symphonic fairy tale by Prokofiev. A brief introduction outlining the history of puppetry, a section on materials and where to get them, and step-by-step directions for tracing round out this entertaining how-to book.