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Sidewalk Circus

As posters go up for the circus that’s coming to town, a young girl waiting for a bus has a front row center seat for the performance that unfolds as her imagination turns a series of streetscapes into circus acts. A steelworker balancing on a beam becomes a tightrope walker, a woman flipping pancakes in a restaurant window becomes a juggler, a man precariously balanced on a ladder becomes a stilt walker, and so on. The only text in this almost wordless book is on signs, but the signs become part of the visual cues for what is going on. “Daring sword swallowers” reads the electronic billboard in front of the theater as the girl glances up to the window of the dentist’s office next door, where a patient—mouth wide open—is enduring the dentist’s probe. The girl’s changing expressions as she responds to the drama of what she “sees” are part of the fun, as are the shadows, which often appear as circus animals or acts in the clever illustrations of this volume that will invite repeated examination. © 2005 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Imagination/Imaginary Play Wordless Books

Publisher: Candlewick
Publish Year: 2004
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0763611077

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Fleischman

Sidewalk Circus