"A Soup Opera" by Jim Gill (with puppets)

If you have a group of children's librarians, and you ask them who their favorite musician for kids is... you're probably going to hear Jim Gill's name come up a lot. And for good reason! Jim's songs are interactive, which is the kids love and his voice is much more pleasant to adult ears than some other performers I won't name.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Jim perform live a few times in the Grand Rapids area and he always puts on a great show. One of the best parts is when performs his book A Soup Opera with puppets made from the illustrations in his book. I decided to make my own version using coloring pages I found on the Internet and paint stirrers.

The only tricky thing about this one is making sure the voices and puppets match gender-wise. I did drop The Mayor from my version because I don't think preschoolers really grasp the different between a mayor and the president and it also goes on a little long. This show is easy to put on by yourself. I copied Jim's idea and wrapped black paper around a cardboard box. Then I cut slits into it just big enough to stick the puppets in.


Don't know this book? Here's a video of Jim acting it out live.

This also makes a great play for kids to put on at school or if you do a theater club at your library, try this one out. Nobody will forget their lines! 

Comments

  1. I love his stuff (and have seen him perform it live). I am looking forward to doing it myself!

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  2. This will make a very entertaining storytime!

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  3. oh my gosh - LOVE this! I will need to practice - I want to do it. I have never seen Jim Gill perform. Wow, I want to. Thanks for the video and the idea. Fabulous!

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  4. I am laughing so hard! That is a very fun way of doing this song. I will have to get the CD because I think this is a MUST-DO for me ~ live action! I have most of the props and costumes including the BIG pen. :)
    I think I'll use some grade schoolers as the characters. I have a number of older kids who attend storytime who would be perfect for a few of these characters. Lol!
    Thanks for sharing the video. It is awesome!
    ~ K ~

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  5. Great use of the paint stirrers -- I bet those hold up much better than popsicle sticks!

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  6. I recently discovered Jim Gill and am loving him! I do agree that he is palatable to ears of all ages. :)

    I can't wait to try this idea out!

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  7. Someone just referred me to your post! Thanks for those kind words about my music..... and I'm so glad that you enjoy my book A SOUP OPERA enough to share it with folks during story time!

    You made my day!

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