Picture books take the stage
by Andrew Seguin
 Having a book read to you is a particular joy. Having a book performed to you is an even greater joy if, in turn, you get to perform, too. Chapin’s Kindergarteners reveled in this exact situation recently, as they acted out some special books to one another, elevating story time to theater.
These special books are known in the Kindergarten as “star books.” Star books have four features: characters whom the students love; a story that can be told through pictures; a clear beginning, middle and end; and a problem that needs to be solved.
Each of the three Kindergarten classes chose, through an election process, a star book to present to their classmates. Jessica Thies’ girls chose The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams; Amanda Lipstein’s class chose Bunny Cakes, by Rosemary Wells; and Joren Erickson’s students chose The Big Orange Splot, by D. Manus Pinkwater.
Choosing a book is the easy part; prepping it for the stage is more difficult. It requires a considerable amount of coordination to divvy up the speaking parts and oversee costume design. After all, the books are picture books, and bringing those pictures to life involves some élan. Each class approached it differently.
“In my class, we asked who wanted to have a speaking part,” Ms. Lipstein said. “Of the eight or so girls who did, we chose four names out of a basket for the four speaking parts,” she said. Two students narrated Bunny Cakes, while the other girls became understudies and stage crew: They cut and pasted an array of paper into bunny costumes, a house, a park and a grocery store.
The other two classes chose different approaches. Associate teacher Rebecca Morgano, who works with Ms. Thies, read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything aloud while the students acted out their parts. The girls tromped around in a circle that echoed the titular old woman’s walk through the woods, during which she encounters some unusual shirts, shoes and hats, not to mention a particularly insistent pumpkin.
Mr. Erickson also read The Big Orange Splot for the group. The students who performed the book were mainly seated, employing double-sided scenery and adhesive objects to showcase the colorful patterns — and the big orange paint splot — that come to decorate the houses in the story.
Whether the students were standing or sitting, speaking or silent, they delighted in their literary celebration. They learned not only that reading is one of the most imaginative experiences a person can have, but also that it’s even richer when shared with others.
Click here to see a photo gallery of the performances.
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