Book excerpt: Poppy creates magical puppets whose personalities are determined by what Poppy 'hears' in the wood before he carves it. When he takes his puppets on the road, their show becomes famous throughout the land. But one day Poppy impatiently shapes a ballerina puppet, Clarinda, from a piece of wood without listening carefully to the wood's message. Clarinda will not perform--and almost ruins the show--until Poppy discovers her secret wish.