There was an unusual sighting at the Bangor Public Library this week. A lioness, loud orange-haired woman and computer-literate mouse stood out among the parents and young readers who regularly frequent the institution.

Cast members from the award-winning PBS show “Between the Lions” visited the Bangor library for two shows Tuesday. The series, which airs at 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays on Maine PBS, combines puppetry, animation, live action and music to achieve its mission of helping children ages 4 to 7 learn to read.

The event was organized by Maine Public Broadcasting, the state Department of Education and the Maine Family Literacy Task Force, chaired by first lady Mary Herman. The visit was sponsored by the Verizon Foundation.

Those arriving for the 10:30 a.m. show were greeted by another unlikely sight: Barbara McDade, Bangor’s head librarian, leading children and parents through the songs “The Wheels on the Bus” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It” in the upstairs foyer, as setup continued inside the lecture hall.

As the doors opened during “Fingers in the Air,” the children and parents filed orderly into the hall. All the children took up seats on the floor, while many parents and grandparents sat in chairs along two walls. A TV showing an episode of “Between the Lions,” produced by WGBH in Boston, played on the edge of the stage, but it couldn’t be heard over the youthful, expectant buzz.

A total of 100 children and one or more of their parents were expected for each show. The library had an allotment of 40 tickets per show, while the other 60 children were recruited by MPBC and the Department of Education, working in conjunction with local family literacy coordinators and daycare centers.

“The goal is to promote parents and children reading together,” said Kim Lipp of MPBC.

The mistress of ceremonies, or in this case the designated reader, was Mary Herman, who brought her daughter, Molly, and a friend to the show. Noting that the lions were late, Herman sat down to read, asking the children to scream “there they are” when they saw the characters. Cleo, the mama lion, and flamed-tressed Smarmy Marmy pop up from behind an upright piano on stage. The kids started shouting, and Herman skittered back and forth across the stage, looking for them in every direction but the right one.

When she spied them, Cleo, supported by puppeteer Jennifer Barnhardt, and Marmy, supported by puppeteer Heather Asch, came out from behind the piano. “Sorry we’re late. My motorcycle had a flat,” Marmy explained.The three sat down to read the book “The Lucky Duck,” based on an episode of the show. It’s a tale of an identity crisis. The lucky duck is tired of being thought of as cute all the time. So, by story’s end, he’s jumped into a mud puddle and becomes “The Yucky Duck.”

As Cleo, Marmy and especially Mary hammed it up during their reading, the children sat transfixed, amazed to see a couple of their favorite TV characters so close, making very little noise for youngsters.

After the reading, Cleo lay down behind the piano for a nap, while Marmy fielded questions from the crowd. Most were looking for missing cast members.

“Where’s Lionel?” asked one girl. “He’s in the library helping Theo. He needs all the help he can get,” Marmy said.

“Where’s Leona?” queried another. “She’s helping too,” said the quick-thinking puppet.

Marmy urged the children to wake up Cleo, which they did with a hearty yell. While Marmy took her nap, Cleo came back out to sing a song about a perplexing letter, called “W Trouble.” The first lady lip- synced along merrily.

Click the Mouse, who had been “checking out the library’s computer system,” popped up from behind the piano for a brief visit with Cleo.

Then the children screamed for Marmy, and the two puppets and the first lady led the children in dancing the hokeypokey as a finale, although turning themselves about was a little tricky in the packed space.

Afterward, about three-quarters of the youngsters streamed out the door, picking up their goodie bags of stickers, coloring pages and books as they left.

But a couple dozen ventured forward, to meet and touch their heroes. The characters answered questions, shook hands and blew kisses.

Herman first got the idea of bringing the characters after the show’s creative producer, Christopher Cerf, and puppeteer Barnhardt visited the National Governors Association’s spouses meeting last February.

She told the task force of her experience, and they approached MPBC about having “Between the Lions” visit Maine. Verizon, already working with the task force in its Read With Me literacy program, agreed to sponsor the event.

The two puppeteers said they’ve gotten out of the studio for about 21 live shows this year.

“It’s wonderful for us to do it,” said Barnhardt. “In the studio, you never get to see how the kids respond to the characters like you do here.”

“It’s the best part of the job, when the kids come up to you,” Asch agreed. “It’s just so cool.”

They told the story of a man who, after seeing their “Between the Lions” jackets, came up to them at the airport on their trip north, explaining that the show was his children’s favorite. He called home to tell them who he’d met, and they ended up leaving a message on his answering machine in their characters’ voices for the children.

“He was just shaking,” Barnhardt recalled.

Having “Between the Lions” visit Maine is a dream come true, Herman said.

“I love the show,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to learn about reading and libraries in an upbeat, colorful way. It’s very alluring to adults, too.”