Patricia Lee Gauch
David Christiana, Illustrator

"Once on a narrow lane winding down to the sea, there lived in a tiny house, two rooms high and one room wide, a puppeteer." They called him Poppy. He made every toy himself from woods he found by the side of the road or trash. He had a special talent. Poppy would listen to the wood and could hear who they were, their name and their special talent.

One day Poppy found a silent piece of wood and without waiting to hear what this marionette wanted to be, he created what he thought this piece of wood should be. He named his puppet, Clarinda. She was to be the highlight of his touring puppet shows…"the famous and mysterious prima ballerina." However, Clarinda would not perform and tears ran down her face.

Poppy waited, patiently and compassionately, until Clarinda was able to express who she was, a wonderful tightrope dancer.

"From that day on, on those rare occasions when Poppy found a piece of wood that didn't hum, he would wait in complete silence-even if it was very late or if he was in a great hurry-to hear what it was saying. …He would listen for the hum in the wood, and in time he knew what the wood wanted to be."

This exquisitely illustrated and gentle story will endure as a gentle reminder to parents to acknowledge our children's individuality and to allow them freedom of expression.

Ages 4-8