Q Did puppeteer Shari Lewis have any children, and are any of them carrying on her work?
—Betty G., Plano, Texas
The popular puppeteer, ventriloquist and children's-TV show host of the 1960s and '70s, who died in 1998, had one child, a daughter. Mallory Lewis, 44, began working with her mom at age 12, ghostwriting Shari's newspaper column. For the last several years, Mallory has performed some 200 shows a year with her mother's beloved "Lamb Chop" sock puppet. Additionally, she writes children's books and recently released a DVD, Phonics for Babies, which uses puppets and music to teach infants the basics of early speech.