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Top Puppet Making Books

By Sherri Osborn, About.com

Jump into the art af making puppets with these interesting books. Find out how you can create everything from shadow puppets to fancy marionettes.

1. Making Shadow Puppets

A creative alternative to shadow puppets using only your hands! This book contains instructions to make fun puppets, portable screens, easy scenery, and more.

2. Finger Puppets

25 brilliant finger puppets to make on your own or with friends, including a Peacock, a Mermaid, a Waltzing Couple and a Goofy Horse. Create all of these from easy-to-find items around the house.
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3. Simple Puppets from Everyday Materials

Follow along with colorful illustrations and step-by-step instructions to produce attractive and fun finished products. The fact that the materials needed to construct each puppet are readily available makes it even better! Find a dragon puppet made from construction paper and popsicle sticks, a frog fashioned from an empty cereal box, a Humpty Dumpty made from a paper, and many others.
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4. 101 Hand Puppets

Provides instructions for making and using instant puppets, rainy day puppets, professional puppets, special puppets, and novelty puppets.
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5. I Can Make Puppets

Children's imaginations will soar as they learn to make inexpensive puppets from a variety of household items--such as socks, bottle caps, and recycled clothing--and then show them off with a simple puppet stage for their original creations.
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6. Let's Start! Making Finger Puppets

This all-inclusive kit contains a 32-page easy-to-follow instruction book, felts, assorted fluffs, google eyes, and a slew of other articles that Tami tells us are essential to the puppet creating process.
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7. How to Make Puppets with Children

This book contains directions and pattern pieces for making 37 hand puppets and 26 finger puppets. The puppet patterns may be colored, cut out, and glued to the basic puppet form, or they may be used as templates with colored construction paper.
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8. The Usborne Book of Puppets

Whether you have five minutes or five hours, you can create a lively, expressive puppet with simple and inexpensive materials such as plastic bottles, old socks, newspaper and cardboard. There are finger puppets, glove puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets and string puppets, with characters that are original, inventive and fun.
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9. Muppets Make Puppets!

Instructions for creating 35 types of puppets using objects commonly found around the house such as socks, plastic jugs, and old work gloves. Also included are tips on writing a script and putting on a puppet play.
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10. Puppet Mania

With this book you'll have loads of fun discovering new creative skills as renowned puppeteer John Kennedy guides each entertaining project with straightforward instructions using easy-to-find materials. Whether you're a kid, a parent, or an adult of any age, you'll learn to make 13 cool puppets.
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