This children's play takes an interesting bounce on its way to the Kennedy Theatre stage at the University of Hawai'i.

"The Little Snow Fox and Other Tales of the North Pacific" is based on the book by Tamara Montgomery and Jodi Parry Belknap, adapted for the stage by Kemuel DeMoville, then handed back to co-author Montgomery, who directs.

Certainly, nobody could have a better feel for the material. New children's theater is what Montgomery does best.

The stage picture has a deliciously frosty, Technicolor look with icy platforms and aquamarine reflections from a cool blue moat that doubles as a skateboard ramp. David Griffith has lifted his lighting design from the aurora borealis, Sandra Finney's costumes have a Native American flavor and Joseph Dodd uses Japanese hanamichi entrances for his set design.

Montgomery stages it with a large cast of perky characters to entertain the youngsters and some hidden adult references to make sure their parents are paying attention. Listen for references to a couple of contemporary artists and Rain's excuse for making a late entrance.

The plot line combines three stories.

Allegorical figures (Wind, Rain, Sun, and Ocean) quarrel over who is best at causing winter; the Snow Fox pup of the title (Marie Kuroda) learns why his fur turns white as seasons change, and an Arctic Tern (Erin Chung) discovers that everyone — no matter how small — can do big things.

But the real audience pleasers are the penguins and puppets.

A trio of those swimming birds (can everyone say "Happy Feet?") don roller skates and gritty urban accents to represent Steve, Steve Too, and Steve Also. Played by Andrew Cottrell, Nicholas Atiburcio and Stephen Meyers, they zip around the stage, sneer out disarmingly naive and streetwise observations and wring spontaneous applause out of an audience of 300 wriggly 3-year-olds.

Puppet designer Melissa Elmore goes in for huge cookie-cutter images in creating the Ice Bear and Beluga Whale but uses a delicate bird puppet to illustrate the flight of the Arctic Tern. Migrating from the North Pole to the South Pole by way of Hawai'i, the Arctic Tern encounters — what else? — a pidgin-speaking Nene Goose (Tony Young).

Fox headdresses are also especially effective, first seen peeking up from behind the scenery and looking very realistic, then coming into full view to show the actor beneath.