THE LION AND THE LITTLE RED BIRD Comes to Charlotte

A children’s picture book awarded Best Book by the Children’s Book Council (CBC) in collaboration with the American Booksellers Association (ABA) gets adapted for the stage and comes to Charlotte. 

“The Lion and the Little Red Bird” tells a story about an unlikely friendship between a curious bird and a compassionate lion. Elisa Kleven’s illustrations and storytelling come to life with Nicole B. Adkins' adaption. The charming story, told through acting and puppetry, will have young audiences curious about art and exploring their imagination. Part of the PBS Storytime Selection, the tale will be performed at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte starting on June 1, 2023, by the Theatre’s PreK touring company. 

Elisa Kleven is an author and illustrator of numerous picture books including “The Lion and the Little Red Bird;” “Sun Bread;” “Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story;” “Hooray, a Piñata;” “Hiro's Hats;” and more. Her titles have received New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, ALA Notable Books, and School Library Journey Best Books of the Year. She is also an artist that paints worlds full of color with messages of hope and community. 

On Saturday, June 3, ImaginOn invites families for free special activities with Elisa Kleven. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte both collaborate on activities for the opening weekends of shows, and this one will be extra special. From 11 AM - 12 PM, families will meet Elisa Kleven in The Round at ImaginOn where children, ages 5 and up, will create collages led by the author/illustrator of “The Lion and the Little Red Bird.” Between shows from 1-2 PM, Kleven will host a presentation at the Wells Fargo Playhouse at ImaginOn about exploring the concept of imagination with children. Activities continuing past June 3 are CML’s BookWalk where families can explore ImaginOn in a self-guided scavenger hunt looking for the pages of “The Lion and the Little Red Bird” framed throughout the building. 

While the season comes to a close on June 10, Summer Camps at the Theatre will begin immediately on June 5 at ImaginOn and their new summer satellite location at CPCC Levine Campus in Matthews. Summer Camps at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte give children the opportunity to learn theatre at a quick pace and present families a sharing at the end of the 1- or 2-week camps with performances. 

For more information about “The Lion and the Little Red Bird” or Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s Summer Camps, visit charlotte.org.