The struggling economy has forced some libraries across the nation to cut their budgets for puppet show programs, leaving children without one of the great forms of adolescent entertainment.

Lucky for those who live in the Puget Sound, there is a place in Seattle that is thriving and committed to providing area children with a variety of great puppet shows. 

The Northwest Puppet Center in Seattle is the only organization of its type in the region. Founded by Chris and Stephen Carter in 1986, the internationally renowned Northwest Puppet Center hosts performances by the Carter Family Marionettes and esteemed guest artists from all over the region.

The Carters have been professional puppeteers since 1976. They trained with master puppeteers of Romania, Sicily and China. Stephen received the Fulbright Award for puppetry studies in 1984 and holds a postgraduate degree from the Institute of Theater and Cinema in Bucharest. The Carter Family Marionettes have been featured performers at National and World Puppet Festivals from Scotland to Uzbekistan. They have presented their plays in five different languages and have also been invited as guest director/designers internationally.

The center presents a family season of puppetry by the Carters and selected guest artists with more than 250 performances each year.

The center aims to create professional puppet theater by Carter Family Marionettes, present top quality puppet theater from around the world, teach puppetry skills and cultural knowledge to a new generation, serve children and adults by providing entertainment and education and preserve and promote international traditions of puppetry. The center is very much focused on outreach as well, hosting programs in communities near and far with touring performances and educational outreach.

On its site (a former church that was renovated) in Seattle's Maple Leaf neighborhood, it also has a museum, archive and library focused on the puppetry arts. The museum's current display features nearly 100 puppets from traditions found around the globe. There is also a playground and picnic area for families to enjoy before and after shows.

The center is currently performing Hans Christian Anderson's "Thumbelina" through Jan. 29.

In the 45-minute production, Thumbelina decides everything around her is super-sized so she sets off to find her own place in the world. On her grand journey, Thumbelina learns of the seasons, has misadventures with frogs in a pond, sings in the trees with flying beetles and escapes the underground home of a mole. The award-winning performance is presented with a beautiful cast of shadow figures and stunning scenery designed with flowing, floral motifs inspired by the Art Nouveau movement. There are also live tunes on electric guitar, dulcimer, percussion and sound effects devices that provides a perfect, groovy accompaniment to the heroine on her flower-power adventure.

There are two shows daily on the weekend; 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets range between $8.50 and $10.50

To purchase tickets, visit www.nwpuppet.org/thumbelina.html or email info@nwpuppet.org.

The Northwest Puppet Center is at the corner of 15th Ave. NE and 92nd St. To get there, travel north on I-5 and take the Lake City Way (Exit #171). Turn left at 15th Ave. NE and continue to 92nd St.