San Diego Theaters featuring Children's Lit: Pam Muñoz Ryan, Dr. Seuss, and Rudyard Kipling adapted for the stage!

Running from January 3-17th, Esperanza Rising adapted for the stage will appear at the Casa del Prado Theatre in Balboa Park. Esperanza Rising is an amazing novel by local author Pam Muñoz Ryan about a young girl living a privileged life in Mexico when tragedy strikes. Esperanza must relocate to California with her mother, and face the hardships of working on a farm camp during the Great Depression. Esperanza Rising won many awards, including the Pura Belpré Award which honors work that best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino/a cultural experience. 

Pam Muñoz Ryan is an alumna of SDSU, a friend to the National Center for the Study of Children's Literature, and an overall stunning figure in the world of art for children. Keep an eye out for an interview with Pam Muñoz Ryan titled "Writing the Whole Child" in the Unjournal of Children's Literature. 

Visit the Junior Theater website to purchase tickets ($10-$15) to Esperanza Rising. There will be a noon showing on January 14th for schools, and a post-show talk with Pam Muñoz Ryan herself following the January 10th showing. 

The Junior Theater will also showcasing another famous San Diego children's author: Dr. Seuss! On January 8th and 14th you can see a production of The Cat in the Hat. If you'd like to see some Seuss for the holidays, you can visit The Old Globe for their 16th annual production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas- it's running now through December 28th.  

In Spring 2014 a production of the Jungle Book will appear in the Don Powell Theater here at SDSU. Director Margaret Larlham will bring a local perspective to this classic by setting the story here in San Diego, "in a secret jungle in our own Balboa Park, a magic place between the leaves and vines bounded by park, zoo, and the freeways."