Peter and the Wolf Puppet Theater

{via Design Mom}

I have been enamored of the creative talents of Sarah Jane for quite some time. If I could draw, I’d want to draw just like her. And now she’s earned my eternal admiration for creating this beautiful Peter and the Wolf Puppet Theater. I’m so excited to download the PDFs here—for $5.50!—and let the kids go crazy.

Are you familiar with the story of Peter and the Wolf? Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote the musical symphony in 1936 to introduce children to classical music. Prokofiev used a special musical technique called leitmotif to create his characters. A leitmotif is a melody associated with a person or, in this case, an animal. So in this symphony, each character is represented by a specific instrument in the orchestra, as well as a melodic theme. Peter is playful strings, the duck is a foolish oboe, and the wolf is a menacing French horn. When I was little, I loved trying to figure out which instruments were which characters.

The recording I listened to as a child was by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic as part of the Young People’s Concert series. My mother gave my children this recording in CD form several years ago. I was happy to know it’s still around, and now the CD will come in handy with our new puppet theater. Is there a recording that you prefer? I’ve heard the one narrated by Basil Rathbone is pretty wonderful, too. Sharon Stone even has one, I believe.

I hope Sarah Jane keeps these coming! What stories would you like to see?