Picture books come alive by puppeteers

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "The Very Quiet Cricket," author Eric Carle’s popular picture books for children, will spring to life through the magic of vivid glow-in-the-dark puppets in a double bill at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sat., March 10.

The production is presented by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. Carle’s colorful collages combined with Mermaid Theatre’s masterful puppetry and music create a memorable event for children ages 3-8. Following closely the books from which the shows are adapted, the stories teach as well as entertain with large-scale puppets in vibrant colors.

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" tells the tale of a hungry caterpillar’s progress through an amazing variety of foods to his eventual metamorphosis into a butterfly. An unofficial sequel to the story, "The Very Quiet Cricket," follows the quest of a little cricket who yearns to find his own voice.

Tickets at $15 are available by calling (310) 506-4522 or TicketMaster at (213) 365-3500. The theatre is at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, on the Pepperdine campus.