Many Ames residents remember the miniaturized scenes in the Little Theater which helped children identify with story characters.  The productions illustrating a scene in books for children were begun in 1929 by Letha Davidson who had simply pushed some books out of the way to provide a display area.  In 1965 Adele Figura started her term providing the displays in the Little Theater display case which had been built for that purpose in 1939.

		Adele Figura (1930-2003) was a beloved display artist for the Ames Public Library from 1966-1993.  She was responsible for displays both off-site (bookmobile and North Grand Mall) and on-site (poster windows, Little Theater, book exhibits, and publications).  The portrait at left of Adele Figura is from 1998.

Before she began a display, Adele always studied and read the book she planned to illustrate.  She would familiarize herself with the characters so she wouldn't miss any important details.  She would then paint the background and build the scenery and characters from household items she had saved for that purpose.  Little people would be formed from cotton padding shaped over wire bodies and have heads of nylon hose stuffed with cotton or modeled in Pladoh.  Dolls loaned by stores or Ames residents were also sometimes used.  Toothpaste caps might become tiny flowerpots.  Tissue paper would become leaves on tiny trees and log cabins or castles would be constructed of cardboard and paper-mâché.

This is an ideal place to create projects of this sort, for all the reference books are right at hand.  The Little Theater is an important part of the children's library, explained Adele Figura in a 1974 interview by the Ames Tribune.  Many junior and senior high school students who were familiar with the display in grade school drop in and see what we are now producing.