Karen Rae Kraut
Music / Storytelling / Variety / Bilingual

• Programs: The Call of the Road, Into the Gobbly Sea, The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body, The Really Big Bug Show, I Wanna Be a Dog, La Mariposa and Friends, Animal Tales and Tunes for Pre-School, Stories of the Earth and Sky, And special holiday programming for Lunar New Year, Earth Day, Halloween, El Dia De Los Muertos, Divali, Thanksgiving, and Winter Solstice/Christmas.

• Ages: Preschool; K-5; Family Audience

Award-winning family performance artist Karen Rae Kraut combines songs, stories, and movement into her own quirky, high energy brand of variety entertainment, which positively overflows with audience participation. Since 1990 Karen has been wowing Southern California audiences with her one-woman shows that entertain, uplift the spirit, and foster emergent and early literacy.

The Call of the Road: Stories of Adventure,
Danger and Mystery Away from Home
Young adventurers challenge the unknown in these stories of spine-tingling encounters with stinky spirits and belly-button-stealing, hairy monsters.  Lots of movement and music add to the language-rich fun of it all!

Into the Gobbly Sea
Follow Karen Rae Kraut “Into the Gobbly Sea.”  There you’ll find stories of strange visitors who emerge from the depths of a mysterious ocean world. Their magical gifts bring joy, breathtaking adventure and spine-tingling danger.  Music, songs, kids on stage, large projected images and Japanese Picture Theatre round out this multi-media production.

—For grades Pre-K to five, families.

THE GIANT (who had no heart in his body)
In a world where giants roam the forest and wolves can speak, one boy must carry out a daring rescue or die! Theatre, music and visual art join hands in this one-woman-show featuring music, songs, a thrilling story, object animation, and lots of audience participation.

Animal, bird and fish sculptures created from all recycled materials by Coachella Valley artist Gwendolyn Rose. Musical accompaniment by Paul Cracchiolo.

The Really Big Bug Show
The Really Big Bug Show features a real, live Traveling Flea Circus, and that’s not all! Award-winning Family Entertainer Karen Rae Kraut rolls songs, stories, magic, and some crazy jitterbugging into this one-woman variety show overflowing with audience participation.

"It's a REALLY big bug!" —Natural Inquirer
"It's worth every penny she's worth!" —Bug News

I Wanna Be a Dog
A one-woman variety show of stories, songs, riddles and poems that chronicle the antics and adventures of our four-legged friends.  Stories from Tanzania, the U.S. and Mexico. Music, songs, lots of audience participation, bi-lingual.

For grades Pre-K to four, families.

La Mariposa and Friends
Join La Mariposa the little butterfly, Turtle of Koka, and The Doodle Bug in stories and songs in which the little creatures face some hair-raising adventures with two legged and four legged predators. Songs, riddles, stories and movement activities make for lots of audience involvement. For pre-school through third grade and their families. Bi-lingual.

Animal Tales and Tunes for Pre-School
The Teeny Weeny Bop searches for the perfect pet in this highly interactive program for preschoolers and their families. Songs, nursery rhymes, drawing stories, and singing games make this an engaging pre-school program that will keep little wigglers involved from start to finish. 30 to 40 minutes.

Stories of the Earth and Sky
How did the sun and moon get up into the sky anyway? How about the stars? This program includes answers provided by the ancient Aztecs, and other primary peoples of North and South America. Engaging visuals strung across a clothes line make this a program which will hold the interest of K-5 students and families.

Holiday Themed programs also available for:
Lunar New Year (the Chinese Zodiac), Earth Day, Divali, Halloween, El Dia De Los Muertos, Thanksgiving, Winter Solstice/Christmas

WORKSHOPS

Way Out West in the Hanky Pank:
Songs and Rhymes with Moves that are Great for Your Brain.
Learn how to combine a song, rhyme or poem with powerful movement patterns that refresh and focus, prepare your students for learning and promote appropriate behavior and social skills. Karen learned The BrainDance from internationally acclaimed choreographer and dance educator Anne Green Gilbert. Learn how to adapt and apply these movement skills to invigorate and harmonize your classroom, library program or home. 1.5 to 2 hours

Storytelling, the Foundation for Listening, Speaking and Reading
This introductory workshop shows how to find, learn and tell a story. Participants will leave with eight or more new stories they can tell right away, and lots of tips on adding movement, songs, props, and more. 1.5 to 8 hours

Jump Jim Joe, Tap Your Toe:
Great Movement and Music Activities for Early Learning
This workshop explores activities that build foundational movement skills that lay the groundwork for later learning, language, and social development. Take home songs, dances, and some serious new moves! 1.5 hours

Stories, Songs and More for World Holidays
From the Nigerian Yam Festival, Cinco de Mayo in Mexico and NoRouz the Iranian New Year, this workshop will show you how to use stories, songs, dances and lively activities to bring these holidays to life for your students. 2 hours

TESTIMONIALS

Riveting,..children were spellbound!  Their eyes were popping out of their heads and they wriggled (appropriately) in their seats.
—Marion Mitchell-Wilson, Inlandia Institute

Contagious energy!
—DP, Riverside Art Museum

I was struck by the trans formative power of this kind of program. Especially pronounced was the change on the look of the faces of the adults who, for a while, stepped into another world and lightened and filled their spirits.
—Karen Delshad, Fairview Branch Library, Santa Monica

The kids talked about your show for days!
— Jenny Wren, Hollydale Library

Thank you for the wonderful performance! I can see why people are so entranced with you! You're fabulous!
—Nell Ramsay, Beaumont District Library

Thank you for your beautifully presented program at the Fairview Branch library.  Your energy and storytelling techniques helped weave a magic spell that kept both children and adults enthralled.  You are a highly skilled performer with a great deal of heart.  Thank you for sharing some of it with us and your Giant.
—Sylvia Anderle, Fairview Branch Library, Santa Monica

What distinguishes a truly 'creative' teller is her ability to create something so deliciously new and unique with words and art so traditionally and classically celebrated.  I was mesmerized; and your playful ways of getting us involved as only you can do added such wonderful balance to such a mysterious and profound tale.
—Jim Cogan, Tellabration

Thank you so much for your hilarious and creative program…You were… just marvelous, simply marvelous! We always expect a good show but you have outdone yourself…I’m still laughing.
—Linda Johnson, Beaumont Library District

Karen Rae Kraut is a delightful and thoroughly professional performer. She worked with Mary and me, via e-mail and telephone, arrived early, set up her own stuff (quite a bit of stuff, by the way), was ready to go on time, and was extremely supportive and appreciative of the responses from our young children in the audience. Everyone was enthralled with her “flea circus.” If you’ve never seen one, you must see Karen’s. Totally fun. Kids were rapt with attention, their mouths hanging open and their eyes…well, “as big as saucers” would not be an understatement.
—Sharon Nicola, Tustin Branch Library

You are simply the best…you bring a sense of delight and laughter…
—Bonnie Weber, Whittier Public Library

I loved the big Giant story…I loved the singing, I loved the part that we stand up and did the far far far dance.
—Amanda, second grade, Ford Elementary School

Thank you very much for your wonderful performance…The kids loved the dancing, storytelling, and especially the music, as well as your interaction with the audience. It was a hit!…We will welcome you again any time.
—Quartz Hill Library

Thanks so much for creating the moment of magic that I enjoyed with my five grandsons at the story time… Please let Karen know that I asked the boys how they liked it and they chorused over and over – That was Awesome!!!
—Rowe House Concert, Riverside