Mock Turtle Marionette Theater, from Bethlehem, recently visited Weisenberg Elementary School.

Puppeteer Doug Roysden shared several stories with the students to enhanced the use of his marionettes.

He told the young audience that when he was a boy, his grandfather would read to him every night.

Sometimes, he read stories; other times, he recitet poetry.

One story he recalled his grandfather reading to him was about Br'er Rabbit and Boss Lion.

The only problem, Roysden said, was his grandfather would fall asleep before finishing the story.

"I became very smart when I went to kindergarten," Roysden said. "I learned my ABCs when I went to kindergarten.

"Do you know how to sing the A BC song?"

The students immediately started singing as he continued his story.

Roysden said the letters he was learning about in kindergarten just started "falling down from the sky" and became words.

"I realized I could read that book about Br'er Rabbit and discover how the story ended for myself," Roysden explained.

Roysden then told the students his fifth grade teacher once told him and his classmates they were about to begin the hardest book they would ever see.

The story was one they must write themselves, she said.

One of the stories he wrote was a short play titled "Trollene Queen," about two golden bells and a troll.

He then told the Weisenberg students, they were going to be part of the story.

When Roysden gave them their cue, they were to say "ding, dong."

Father Troll, a string puppet, wanted to capture the two golden bells, played by Daniella Lister and Elijah Kinzel, so he and his wife could melt them down into jewelry.

Every attempt he made was met by a "ding-dong" from one or both of the bells.

The final "ding-dong" was enhanced by the audience taking part, which scared Father Troll away.

His final story of the performance was the Bremen Town Musicians, a story about a donkey, dog, cat and rooster, who have outlived their usefulness on the farm where they live.

They decided to run away to the town of Bremen where they become musicians.

Roysden asked for seven volunteers to work with his animal puppets and five drummers.

As the animals began their travels to Bremen they became tired and hungry and decided to stop at a house (inhabited by robbers).

The dog hopped on the donkey's back; the cat hopped on the back of the dog, and the rooster hopped atop the cat.

They then began to serenade the occupants of the house.

The animal serenade was accompanied by the drummers and directed by Roysden.

The racket created by the group frightened the robbers so badly, they ran away.