Reviews for Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education: Head, Hands, and Heart:
“Covering the essentials of puppetry with activities suitable for adults and children of any age, Smith's guide is easy to follow, thought provoking and a handy reference book for anyone with a professional or personal interest in puppetry.” – Drama & Theatre Magazine
“Johanna Smith has created a beautiful resource for teachers, artists, and anyone else interested in exploring the art of puppetry with children. Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education is equal parts how-to and inspiration, with an emphasis on how puppetry allows us to be more connected as collaborators while activating learning through many disciplines.”
-Cheryl Capezzuti, Puppetry Journal, Spring 2019
“The first five chapters are dedicated to technique, teaching puppet manipulation, and how to endow the puppet with meaning, intention, and personality. This focus on technique above esthetics relies more on the child's imaginative interactions with the world, rather than asking them to create a functional puppet from their initial engagement. Smith instead has the students work with newspapers, plastic shopping bags, and scarves in these early chapters, skipping construction or design until later assignments when students have a better understanding of the functions they need a puppet to have in service of storytelling. This structure is one of the strengths of the text, relieving the esthetic pressure from students who might feel intimidated by the "craftiness" of puppets also helps students engage with the technique without the distraction of the potentially imperfect visual."
-Cully Long, Youth Theatre Journal
