Making Puppets Come Alive: How to Learn and Teach Hand Puppetry

by Larry Engler, Carol Fijan

Unlike other performing arts, puppetry is perhaps the only art form in which directing, acting, writing, designing, sculpture, and choreography are combined. In effect, the performer is creating an artistic entertainment that will appeal to audiences of all ages — in homes, in theaters, and in classrooms.
This lucid, easy-to-follow book was specifically conceived to teach beginners how to bring a hand puppet to life and how, with practice, to develop the skills needed to mount an amateur puppet show — complete with staging, costumes, and special effects. Award-winning puppeteers Larry Engler and Carol Fijan provide ingenious finger, wrist, and arm exercises that are crucial for creating a full working range of puppet motions and emotions. They also cover the elements of good puppet theatrical speech, voice use, and synchronization; stage deportment and interactions; improvisation, dramatic conflict, role characterization, and more.
Every detail is clearly explained and beautifully illustrated with photographs, specific chapters being devoted to the use of props, puppet voices and movements, the construction of simple stages and lighting effects, and much more. A splendid addition to the literature on this subject, Making Puppets Come Alive is "the best book on hand puppetry we've seen." — The Whole Kids Catalog.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good, basic overview of performing with hand (glove) puppets. It goes through very basic movements, and gives some pretty decent but very basic patterns. I disagree entirely with their advice on correct lip synch, however. Still it's a pretty good book for someone who has no experience with puppetry.

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a nice short read about the basics of hand puppetry!
Simple & clear and definitely inspirational. Really liked the Lesson Plan and the Bibliography appendixes. What a splendid book for learners. :)

[Diana Flores]

Another puppetry book read as I work on my puppet skills for storytime at the library.

This one (published in 1973) had some conflicting advice on lip-synching and using mouth puppets, compared to newer texts I've read and videos I've watched.

[Christen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is terrifying and hilarious.

[Lindsay Evermore · Rating 3 out of 5]

library/buy in the future