Monkeys and tigers and frogs, oh my! If you’re waiting for your hold on Akron Zoo tickets (yes, you can borrow museum passes with your library card!), you can tide yourself over by checking out our puppet “zoo” at the library! For decades, Reed has offered hand puppets for library users to play with in-house or to check out, but recently our puppet collection has been slightly modified. Keep reading to learn more.
The Perks of Playing with Puppets
The puppets are a beloved element of our play area, bringing joy to many people. However, did you know that in addition to being fun, puppets can play a very helpful role in young people’s development? Studies show that puppets, when used either for or by young people, can have a positive impact on language, social-emotional, and speaking skills.
An article from Rocky Mountain PBS discusses how using finger puppets with babies offers parents a tool for talking to their little one. Talking with infants (even when they’re too young to talk back) can lead to markedly improved “future vocabulary growth, school readiness and academic success.” Another article from Cambridge summarizes research about using puppets with school age children, explaining the different ways puppets can engage students in language learning, speaking practice, and creative storytelling. The more you know!
So, who’s ready to foster a puppet?
Fostering a Puppet
Our little puppet zoo consists of roughly forty puppets and contains animals such as fish, caterpillar, raccoon, triceratops, elephant, German shepherd, tabby cat, emperor penguin, stingray, and more! Many of our puppets hail from Folkmanis, a well-respected puppet company. Others come from the aptly named The Puppet Company.
The puppets are ready to play at the library, or you can borrow one with your library card. The puppets are located on the red shelves by the play area, which they migrated to just this week so they can be better showcased. Like most of our collection, the puppets have a two-week loan period. Simply bring your new puppet friend up to the Public Services desk, and they will check it out to you with the puppet’s designated bag.
During your visit to the library, if you don’t immediately bond with any of the puppets in our play area, you can peruse the Puppet Binder. We put our puppets out on a seasonal rotation, so generally only about ten puppets are out at a time, while the other thirty puppets hibernate and get their beauty rest. From home, you can browse our puppet collection online on our catalog and see the current status of their availability.
“We’ve changed how we handle puppets,” Youth Services associate Brittany explains. “About a year ago, I started reworking our system; we used to have all of the puppets out at once, which often resulted in chaos. When kids have too many options for toys, it tends to just get messy. By putting out only some of the puppets at a time, those puppets can be better appreciated, and it also extends the life of all of the puppets, as they can rest on their off-season.”
However, upon request, we are more than happy to bring out a specific puppet so that they can enjoy your company. Our puppet binder, which Brittany also newly redesigned, has pictures of all our puppet critters. If you find a specific puppet you like in the binder, just ask one of our friendly neighborhood Youth Services staff members and they will get it for you, so long as it is not already checked out.
We can’t say for certain what the puppets do once they leave the building with you (whether they travel, stay up late watching movies, or go to school), but we can certainly tell you what happens once they return to us. One of our Youth Services staff gives them a much-needed bath after they come back, handwashing them according to puppet company recommendations and letting them air dry.
“With this new system in place, we are looking to keep the puppet collection fresh by adding new puppets every year and retiring the ones that are feeling worn out,” Brittany comments. “We are always open to suggestions for which animals people would like to see join our little puppet zoo.”
The puppets are a popular and much-loved component of our children’s area, and they are just another example of how we strive to enrich our community by offering unique resources. Our puppet collection brings lots of joy to all of us and all of you!
Do you have a favorite puppet or a story about one of our puppets? Is this the first time you’re learning about our puppet zoo? Leave a comment and let us know!
Sincerely, Cornelius 