Our Bookmans Tucson stores kicked off the first week of Summer Kids Events with a puppet show from local puppet theater, Puppets Amongus. The show was a rousing success with a puppet rendition of the classic children’s tale The Silk Princess by Charles Santore. The Silk Princess is based on the story of Leizu a legendary Chinese empress and wife of the Yellow Emperor. According to tradition Leizu brought silk to the Orient with her invention of the silk loom.

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Puppets Amongus takes some liberty with the tale and follows the emperor’s daughter Princess Hsi-Ling Chi who goes on a long arduous journey to learn just how long the silk thread in her mother’s tea really is. Along the way she encounters helpful yet terrifying spiders the size of her head, a sleepy dragon who just want to hang out after the show and the all knowing Wise Man.

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Like precious silk, Tucson has a real treasure in Puppets Amongus for they are truly engaging, creative and entertaining.  The modest sets and characters are filled with life and speak directly to the audience, the children present were barely able to contain their excitement. Many tiny audience members in fact approached the stage to speak directly to the characters. Subtle humor was also used to keep the parents entertained as well, leaving the kids squealing with delight while their parents laughed at the jokes and simple directness of the puppets. Puppets Amongus is a locally owned, single operator theater with hand crafted puppets and live musical accompaniment that brings old world storytelling to life. Matt Cotten, Puppets’ Artistic Director is the brains behind the operation and also voices all the characters himself. The focus is on the tale and its characters, who Matt brings to life with humor and originality. Puppets Amongus brings classic stories to children in an accessible way that keeps the little ones mesmerized.

Puppets Amongus: The Silken Thread is just one of many exciting and one of a kind events sure to help you beat the heat and avoid summer boredom. Join Bookmans at one of our six locations for Free Summer Kids Events where the childhood imagination comes to life with puppets, mermaids, space travel, Ninja Turtles and more.