Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycled Mittens, Towels, Socks, and More [Paperback]

Diana Schoenbrun (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 26, 2011

Features 20 puppets parents and kids can make together out of recycled mittens, Towels, socks, and household linens. The author’s previous book of puppets sold more than 100,000 copies.

Have fun and go green with Diana Schoenbrun's Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycled Mittens, Towels, Socks, and More. A puppet builder, an illustrator, and an author, Schoenbrun presents 20 puppet projects made with recycled materials easily found around the house.

A lonely sock becomes a wizard puppet. A glove without a mate turns into five little pig puppets. And that tired dishtowel transforms into a lively banjo player puppet--all at very little cost. Diana Schoenbrun's easy-to-follow directions are accompanied by how-to illustrations. Also included are full-color photographs of puppets, as well as a chapter that guides children through creating and presenting their own puppet show. So, the next time the dryer eats a single sock, get crafty, go green, and go play with Puppet Play.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Diana Schoenbrun teaches puppet and playwriting workshops for children ages 6 to 9 at 826NYC, a nonprofit center founded by Dave Eggers. She currently works at Puppet Heap, a unique design studio located in Hoboken, New Jersey. Diana resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Online:

dianaschoenbrun.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449401198
• ISBN-13: 978-1449401191
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,474,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Schoenbrun is an author, illustrator, crafter and puppet builder who resides in Brooklyn, NY. www.dianaschoenbrun.net

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun ways to reuse and recycle! May 15, 2011

By CuteEverythingcom TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

With her new book, Diana Schoenbrun offers ways to give used or cast-off household items a second life, like mittens, scarves, towels, and more. Once you have the main elements of the puppet, you can add fun details with fabric scraps and other little objects, making them into even more enjoyable toys.

The author suggests initially going on a "treasure hunt" in your house for items that you can make into delightful puppets of all kinds. I generally try to give away used items to the thrift store, but the kinds of things you make these puppets with are the kinds of things that even the thrift store wouldn't want -- like a single sock, or an old dish towel -- so I appreciate her suggestions to transform them into something fun and useful, rather than throwing them away. Puppet Play includes lists of tools needed to create the puppets, as well as the stitches and embellishments that will add character to them.

There are twenty charming puppets complete with detailed instructions and patterns. Puppet Play has many animal puppets, plus a robot, vampire, pirate, clown and more, each with delightful details and a fascinating back story. My favorite was the Feilong the Dragon puppet made from a red knee sock. It is fashioned to look just like a Chinese dragon who brings rain for the crops to grow. My daughter told me that the Derzink the Wizard was "full of awesomeness" with his cute little gray beard and mustache and his wizard hat.

At the end of the book is some helpful advice on story structure and how to present an entertaining puppet show. Puppet Playis a great way to find ways to reuse and recycle while having lots of fun!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute and workable puppet ideas September 6, 2011

By Madigan McGillicuddy

Format:Paperback

This delightful offering is an inspiration for crafters everywhere. Written in the most basic terms, the book begins with a simple intro to kinds of materials to look out for, easy-to-read diagrams showing different kinds of hand-stitching, and a few pattern suggestions. While a few of these creations looked a little "unfinished" to me, there were plenty of puppets that struck my fancy. I was especially impressed with the floppy, wrinkly, beautifully long-trunked elephant puppet, fashioned out of a mismatching pair of grey striped socks. I also liked the looks of the sock monkey super-hero puppet (not your typical sock monkey!) and the inspired choice of an old argyle sock as the body for a wacky looking wizard. The green bandanna frog was cleverly made, although not quite my style, and the two-sided fish, made out of mismatching washclothes begs to have a song or rhyme written about him for storytime. The kangaroo puppet, fashioned from a re-purposed glove and the giraffe puppet made of tea-towels and clothespins both looked a bit daunting, but there were plenty of projects here eminently suitable for a beginner.

Many of these puppets were so clearly inspired by the found materials they were made from - for instance, where on earth would you find a lumpy, striped grey sock that is nearly as good as the one used in the book for this elephant? It seemed to me the best sock puppets came from unusual socks - large, old, colorful, fantastically-patterned knee socks seem to be a safe bet for really terrific puppet characters. Use this book as a jumping off point for your own puppetry creations. Dedicated crafters with a hearty supply of buttons, fabric scraps and notions will doubtless find these projects easy, but even a novice puppeteer could get started with a trip to their mismatched socks basket, a few sheets of cheap felt, and maybe a trip to a secondhand clothing store for a few extras.

The book is appended with some puppeteering tips, character creation ideas, and a list of websites of prominent puppetry arts organizations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun with puppets August 22, 2011

By M. J. Record

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book contains lots of fairly easy to do projects. I make puppets with my grandsons, and use activities that they can successfully complete, with some adult help. This fits the bill.