Sidewalk Circus

My children and I also loved this book. It has hidden things to discover on many pages that relate to the circus and there is a story line to it if you think about what is happening...it is an art to tell a story with no/little words.

This book is very successful in linking real world to circus. I think the idea is just wonderful, and the illustrations are exquisite. The authors show that if we only open our eyes to every-day people, we will see how skillful they are in their jobs. It shows, for example, how a food carrier could be a STRONGMAN in the circus, and how a window cleaner could be a trapezist. I really agree with the idea, I think the circus is so great because it is a place where we open our eyes and our minds to the human abilities. I believe the book represents Emerson's phrase on his Nature essay: "Nature wears the colors of the spirit." So if you want your children (and yourself) to start watching and acting in the world, instead of seeing it, this book is a good beginning.

NOTHING! Paul Fleischman has created a story about imagination, about seeing the ordinary world around you with new eyes. It's a story about what COULD be, and about transcending what IS. Kevin Hawkes has given visual life to Mr. Fleischman's concept. It's a book which shows that children still have the capacity to see the world as a place of possibilities, while the adults nearby are oblivious to the wonderful circus of events taking place around them. This book is a masterpiece. After reading the other reviews posted for this delightful book, I can only observe that those who wrote them are like the adults in this book. As a society, we are accustomed to being entertained out the wazoo. We are passive observers, waiting for someone to "show us a good time." Mr. Fleischman's book takes me back to that time in my life when all I required to have a good time was a summer afternoon and back yard. My imagination supplied the rest. Sidewalk Circus is a great book to help you take out your imagination and dust it off. Buy it today.

Illustrator Kevin Hawkes says on the jacket copy for Sidewalk Circus "I am grateful to [author] Paul Fleischman for opening my eyes." He was referring to the research time he spent in Portland Maine watching "all the things going on in the city, and all the people and things I had never really noticed before. " Sidewalk Circus presents an almost wordless story that opens our eyes to the pageant of our hometowns. A little girl waiting at her bus stop notices a curious shadow following a man putting up posters that advertise a circus and its acts. The shadow outlines a top-hatted circus ringmaster holding up a megaphone as though directing our attention to a performance. She looks up to discover an ironworker walking a beam above a banner proclaiming "The Great Tebaldi Prince of Tight Rope Walkers. Next she sees a deliveryman bearing a load whose shadow mimics a poster announcing Goliath the Strongman. Through this little girl's eyes everyday events become fantastic feats of juggler's clowns, acrobats and trapeze artists. Kevin Hawkes' rich acrylics of warm yellow and red nineteenth century brick front shops recreate a big top. He portrays the little girl, and later a little boy in color amid achromatic crowds. Their imaginations make the world a circus and their wide eyes and big smiles reflect the delight and wonder circuses strive to inspire. Come one come all of ages from five-to-a-hundred.

My daughter approached me with the book because it did not have any words. I told her that we had to create our own story. She abolutely loved it. We read the book over and over creating new stories each time. My daughter is just learning to read (4yrs.)so this book provided a break from the phonics lessons. If you have a child that loves to talk and asks lots of questions then this book is for you.