From page to stage, the popular children's book "Library Lion" has come to life on a Boston stage. 

2026 marks two decades since the book was first published. The musical production at Boston's Adam Theater takes young audiences inside the story, with an intricate puppet helping turn imagination into reality.

Children's book author Michelle Knudson said, "You forget instantly that it's not an actual creature."

And while she never expected "Library Lion" to be turned into a musical, she thinks it's the perfect match, and loves "the idea of [kids] being able to experience the story in two different ways."

And when the children see the lion, puppeteer Sophie Kauffman said she hoped "that the puppet feels alive to them and that they're able to be engaged the whole time, which is a big ask of some kids."

Intricate life-like puppet

The Jim Henson Company helped create the colorful creature.

Karin Sharav Zalkind, the co-founder and executive director at Adam Theater, explained, "We were in the design process through all of it and kind of picking out the colors and the mane and the eyes and deciding how it walks, how it sits, how it operates."

The lion requires three puppeteers to operate.

One for the head, one for the heart, and the other for the tail and legs.

Puppeteer Sydney Grant said, "While we each get to hold our individual pieces, they all come together and are linked so we can feel each other moving and breathing and create something that is alive."

Sarah Nolen, also a puppeteer, added, "We did a lot of work together at the beginning, which was about fusing our breath and moving together as a group, even if we're doing separate things."

Adam Theater co-founder and artistic director Ron Bechor said, "This is part of the magic of the theater, to see the puppet, to see the puppeteer, and then they disappear."

"Library Lion" at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston's South End runs from January 10th through January 25th.

Every ticket purchased helps support a child to see the show with their school. This year, 2,500 Boston school children are set to see the musical for free.