Puppet Ladies help stoke children’s interest in reading

Once upon a time, a horned toad prince tricked a young cowgirl into kissing him and ending his curse, thus turning him back into a human.

In this comical version of the story, however, the prince rides off into the sunset alone, and the cowgirl and prince do not live together happily ever after.

The Goddard Puppet Ladies presented the story, “The Horned Toad Prince,” Thursday morning at Evergreen Branch Library in Wichita to approximately 50 children and parents as part of their Story Time with the Puppet Ladies summer tour.

The ladies are members of the Goddard Women’s Club that founded the Goddard Public Library, and they started the group “as a community service event tied with literacy and libraries,” Puppet Lady Gail Jamison said.

“We do (our shows) because we truly love literacy and helping children get engaged from an early time,” Jamison said.

The Puppet Ladies created their group in 2012 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the women’s club. It also came at a time when field trips for elementary students were being cut in schools, Puppet Lady Lisa Stoller said. The shows were offered free to Goddard schools as a way to incorporate field trips and have continued each year since.

Stoller said there are five core members in the group. She said they did not expect their shows to become as popular as they have.

“Demand is great,” Stoller said. “There’s not a lot of programs out there like this for kids that really focus on literacy.”

All of the Puppet Ladies have been teachers or school board members, and all have volunteered in their school libraries throughout the years, Jamison said. Each year, they serve in the Parents as Teachers program at Goddard and also provide programs for private schools in the Goddard area.

“We do this because all of us are invested in helping educate children in a positive manner, and any way you can bring an interest to reading – this seems to be one that’s highly engaging,” Jamison said.

The summer shows are put on through the Wichita Public Library’s summer reading program, said Stephanie Huff, Wichita Public Library marketing manager. The program has more than 10,000 kids enrolled and has been operating since the 1920s, Huff said.

The events are “just a way to get (kids) excited to continue reading even though they’re not in school, so just to keep their brains active throughout those summer months,” Huff said.

The library funds its summer events using grants, but the events are free to community members, Huff said.

Monica Gilmer said the puppet shows encourage her two children, ages 4 and 6, to read.

“They get home and they do the similar thing,” Gilmer said. “They mimic what they see here, and it’s good for them, for education, to read, to get more into books.”

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Puppet Ladies help stoke children’s interest in reading."