Monday, December 7, 2009

Tasha Tudor's Puppets

Tasha Tudor lived into her nineties and still has a following of adoring fans. And it should be that way. She brought a lot of love into the world with more than eighty books for children and families, filled with the activities and doings of her own four children, her farm, gardens and animals. She stands next to Beatrix Potter as a giant in the history and development of children's books. With her wry humor, brilliant wit and rich, hard-working way of  life in the country, Tasha inspired and led her adult fans to see the importance of being present with your children and encouraging them to use their imaginations and do their lives hands-on.
     She taught her own children to do marionette puppetry. I don't have to say much here. These illustrations from her book A Time to Keep tell the story:





Tasha and her children were invited to perform with their puppets at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. But as you can see, performing out in the big world is not what is really important. The happiness and satisfaction of creating puppet shows from scratch linger after untold hours of responsible work mixed with creative passion.
     If for some reason Tasha Tudor has passed you by, many of her books are still available at libraries, bookstores and the internet. Learn more about her here: http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/ and in this book by the lady herself, with photographer Richard Brown:



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