“Do you love French fries so much that you’ve taken them off someone else’s plate?” Keith Munslow asked students of Lippitt Elementary School.

There was a roar of laughter as nearly every student, and a good portion of teachers, raised their hands.

Munslow has been performing at libraries, festivals and elementary schools throughout New England for 17 years. His act incorporates singing, drawing and a good-hearted story.

“It was really just this organic, crazy fluke that I ended up with the show I have,” Munslow said.

Munslow grew up in West Warwick. After falling in love with art in high school, he went on to study illustration at the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

He was interested in more than just drawing though, and he ended up auditioning for a six-month job performing throughout the summer at libraries with a skit that had all of his interests and talents in one.

Munslow said that he often gets questioned why he performs for a mainly child audience. He said that, believe it or not, performing for children is much more difficult.

“Kids are the most honest audience,” he said. “If they don’t like it, they don’t have the skill set yet to sit back politely and just laugh because it’s the right time to. If they don’t like it you are going to know right away.”

At Lippitt he was only met with heaps of laughter as students interacted with his show that poked at parents that drank too much coffee, the struggles of stolen French fries and the ever-elusive Bellywog, the legendary creature that causes bellyaches.

This is Munslow’s second year visiting Lippitt, and Principal Martin Susla said that his students always love when Munslow comes to perform because he is very entertaining and engaging.

Many of Munslow’s songs include call and response with melodies the kids can easily pick up on and sing along. One student, Cassandra Federici even got to join the performance when Munslow “forgot” the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. He got lost after Goldilocks’ ninja kicked the door down. For being so brave and stepping up in front of the school, Cassandra got to take home one of Munslow’s drawings.

Susla said he hopes to bring Munslow back in the future because he feels that the performance always portrays a good message for the students.

“Munslow really helps to inspire the students to chase their dreams,” Susla said. “Look at his performance, he refuses to settle on using just one of his talents and created something where he can do everything he loves.”

Munslow said, “Kids are just so tapped into creativity, when I asked who likes to sing and who likes to dance every hand shot up. Ask a room full of adults, you’re lucky if you even get a couple of hands raised. They are connected to their own creativity, that’s how they play, how they learn, and how they interact with the world around them.”

For more information on Keith Munslow visit his website at www.keithmunslow.com. Munslow’s appearance was funded by a grant from the Robert J. Shapiro Fund.