Sidewalk Circus

Rating:
Summary: Baby cried the day the circus came to town
Review: Huh. That's weird. I'm a pretty easy person to influence. If I read a glowing review of a picture book, I'm far more likely to love it instantaneously upon reading it than, say, view it with a suspicious eye. And the advance word on "Sidewalk Circus" could only be described in one way: glowing. Every reputable children's publication, from Horn Book and Publisher's Weekly to School Library Journal and Bulletin For the Center of Children's Books could only gush and clamor over the beauty that was "Sidewalk Circus". With such remarkably good things said about it, I looked forward to viewing my own copy with quite a bit of anticipation. Maybe I was just setting myself up for disappointment. But when I finally read through this reportedly glorious book I found that it was not the genius work of picture book art I'd come to expect. It's an interesting concept and perhaps a plummy idea. But it's not particularly winning. After I read it I could really only think one thing: Huh. That's weird.

This book is all but wordless, making the action take place entirely in the deft acrylics of illustrator Kevin Hawkes. If you've ever seen Hawkes' fabulous, "Weslandia" then you're familiar with his talents. In the beginning a marquee promotes the following: "COMING SOON...WORLD-RENOWNED...GARIBALDI CIRCUS!!!!....". Across the street from the marquee sits a girl, waiting for the bus. Beneath her eyes, even the most ordinary human being are transformed into circus-related creatures. That construction worker balancing two heavy buckets high above the ground? A tightrope walker, of course. The cook tossing early morning pancakes on a grill? A juggler of highest renown. And what about those window washers that accidentally swing high off the ground? Trapeze artists. In the end the girl gets on her bus, still entranced by her thoughts and a boy takes her place on the bench, creating whole new imaginings of his own.

The idea is very good. And since author Paul Fleischman didn't actually write many words for this tale, he must have closely collaborated with Mr. Hawkes. The ways in which the girl sees everyday people as circus performers is through their shadows. The shadow of an old man posting flyers turns into a magnificent image of a circus ringleader announcing the next act. The problem is, the book's a little messy. The shadow idea appears here and there, then drops off without explanation. It's a little difficult to make out some of the images as well. For example, unless you look very closely, you may not notice the shadow of a big top splayed against a building across from the fascinated girl. There's also an odd sequence involving two clumsy skateboarding youths, a painter, and some window washers that doesn't flow together particularly well. I kept feeling like I was missing something. Sometimes the shadows work splendidly (like the one on the cover) but other times they're actually a little hard to separate from the real life action. Only a kid with a deep-seated conviction that he or she was going to figure out every shot in this book would take much pleasure in the story.

I feel terrible saying this. I mean, everyone and their mother seems to like it. I've heard it bandied about for certain awards and many many people think it's worthwhile reading. And I did attempt to like it. I did. I tried everything in my power to do so. But why on earth are the shadows of the pigeons shaped like toucans? Why do the window washers have difficulties with their rig anyway? Why did the youths' skateboards disappear in one two page spread then reappear all over again on the next? Maybe kids won't notice these inconsistencies but they're bound to be a little puzzled by the story's haphazard action. Take it from me... I wanted to like this book and it certainly had a lot going for it. It just didn't live up to its potential. As picture books go, it's so-so. Not very good. Not very bad. Not very anything. Read it if you like, but consider giving it a glance before making any purchases.


Rating:
Summary: Sidewalk Circus
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: For the inquisitive at heart
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Will little ones get the concept?
Review: When I looked through this book, it was as an adult who had read Booklist's review and knew what the concept was supposed to be. However, even knowing that ahead of time, I had difficulty figuring out the connection between what was going on in the picture and what it had to do with a real circus.

Once I did pick up what those parallels were supposed to be, I found them to be extremely boring! There is no real story line, no satisfying ending. In addition, the illustrations are rather dark and not very inviting.

The book has practically no text, which is a big part of the problem. More verbal cues would have been a help, for both children and the adults who are sharing the book with them. (Such as, "Who looks like the tightrope walker?")