Rachel Barnett-Jones and Jenny Gould's Jina and the STEM Sisters enchanted us with ingeniously presented puppetry which invited us to join young Jina's quest for some unusual birthday presents. In a gorgeous forest, superbly designed by Sophia Lovell Smith, and with the aid of two brilliant puppeteers, Ruth Calkin and Nix Wood, Jina meets a number of scientists in her thirst for knowledge. These scientists all happen to be women, most of whom have often been virtually overlooked by history, including Wang Zhenyi, Ada Lovelace, Maria Sibylla Merian and Marie Curie. In addition, we meet the film star, Hedy Lamarr, who was, surprisingly, also an inventor. Each inventor bestows a special gift on Jina, among them being curiosity, courage and persistence. This is an intelligent and entrancing entertainment that never preaches or speaks down to its intended audience of seven to eleven year-olds and, with the help of some pleasant and varied songs, there is never a dull moment. Childr
