How to Make Your Sock Talk

"""An often helpful tutorial for beginning puppeteers.""--Kirkus Review Magician and ventriloquist Vee offers a kid-friendly, step-by-step guide to creating puppets and learning ventriloquism. A young narrator with pale skin and short brown hair initially invites readers to make their own sock puppet. Starting, of course, with a sock--""One that doesn't stink works best!""--and other craft items, such as felt, yarn, glue, and a cardboard tube, the narrator goes through the puppet-making process. The first step is forming an idea of the character, followed by constructing the puppet out of various materials, creating a unique voice for the puppet's character, and finally learning ventriloquism. Much of the last half of the book is dedicated to the latter art, including teaching proper lip positions, how to fake consonants that require the use of one's lips, and even how to breathe effectively. The book also covers puppetry performance aspects, such as where to direct a puppet's eyes and how to move its mouth in sync with one's voice. Finally, the narrator encourages readers to write their own scripts and jokes for their puppet--although the sample joke is a bit of a letdown. Endnotes discuss the difference between soft puppets and hard figures, such as standard ventriloquist dummies, and provide links for readers who wish to learn more about puppeteers and crafters. The author skips some of the construction process (how to create the puppet's clothing, for instance, is never addressed), but his instructions on how to perform as a ventriloquist are clear and valuable. Vee presents the information as if he's revealing trade secrets, sharing knowledge through the fictional narrator in a way that invites young readers into the community. Raymundo's full-color cartoon illustrations serve as useful models, demonstrating mouth shapes and positions as well as proper breathing and puppet positioning. However, readers may be disappointed at the general lack of female representation in these pages; the only female-coded puppet is pink with long eyelashes and a bow in her hair. An often helpful tutorial for beginning puppeteers. --Kirkus Review ""I love this book, It's great. So easy to understand for kids and adults too!"" --Celia Munoz, Winner of Spain's Got Talent, America's Got Talent Finalist, Ventriloquist ""Most 'how to books' are heavy with the written word instructions. Being dyslexic, reading is not one of my strong points... but that has never affected my ability as a ventriloquist. Thank you, Jimmy Vee, for creating an instruction book for ventriloquists that is illustrated with such clear drawings. It becomes much more accessible for those of us who are reading challenged. I might say. 'a Vent book for the rest of us' "" --Jay Johnson, Tony Award(R) Winner, Writer, Ventriloquist ""The book is incredible. I absolutely LOVE it. I think it can easily be a huge influence on the next generation of vents."" --Terry Fator, AGT Winner, Las Vegas Headliner, Ventriloquist"