Summer library shows

Dig in!

My main bread-and-butter in the summer is performing at libraries. Most libraries follow the Collaborative Summer Library Program themes (if you’re a performer, check out the website for the themes several years ahead). This year, it’s Unearth a Story,^tm focused on dinosaurs, paleontology, and archaology. Hmm. Not in my wheelhouse, so I have shifted to a dirt-adjacent theme with a program I’m calling Dig In! A Garden of Stories (no trademark, because I’m not that fancy). So far, I’m thinking about kid-friendly tales such as “The Turnip” and “The Goat in the Chili Patch,” and songs like “Oats, peas, beans and barley.” I’m playing around with which puppets will turn up (or turnip?). I do have a goat puppet that might work well. Suggestions?

As I’ve mentioned before, children don’t care about themes. They just want to have fun. Adults like themes because they can focus their thinking about programs, I think. I generally prefer the theme Storyteller’s Choice, but every year, I make a specific summer program. Every year, it ends up being great fun!

Photo credit: Kelly Sime