Braden River Library brings 'Aladdin' to life with puppet show

Lakewood Ranch High School senior Natalie Robson let her hand do the talking, as she pretended to be Jasmine, from "Aladdin."

Her puppet's long hair and crown amused dozens of children who attended the Braden River Library's puppet show Aug. 11. 

"It's definitely a lot harder than it looks," she said of puppeteering. "Back stage, we were rushing to make sure it was running smoothly." 

Puppeteers may have noticed when the genie's lamp went missing, but the children didn't. They loved the scenes, the songs and especially the bubbles the genie made when he granted wishes.

"They're very forgiving," said fellow puppeteer Aaron Patmor, an upcoming junior at Braden River High School, who portrayed a dragon and the king.

After the performance, children enjoyed coloring pictures of magic carpets, like the one Aladdin rode.