5 Picture Books to Read Under the Big Top

Sandy’s Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder, by Tanya Lee Stone and Boris Kulikov
As a child, Alexander “Sandy” Calder was a tinkerer, creating unique objects out of the whatever he could find. As an adult, he is hired to draw sketches of the famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, a short assignment that leads to a fascination with creating movable, bendable circus animals of his own. Soon, Sandy has his own “circus,” packed into just a few suitcases. Sandy and his suitcases of creations travel back and forth, delighting children and adults in both Paris and New York. Okay, so maybe it’s not a live animal circus, but Sandy Calder’s circus is no less delightful, as readers will soon discover.

Sidewalk Circus, by Paul Fleishman and Kevin Hawkes
The Garibaldi Circus is coming and the advertising posters are going up all over town. There will be tightrope walkers, lion tamers, sword swallowers; these are the types of circus acts families line up to see. Only one observant little girl notices that the performance has already started. This nearly wordless picture books celebrates those working behind the scenes; the less glamorous working-class talents who are every bit as important to putting on the grand spectacle that is the Garibaldi Circus.

The Circus Ship, by Chris Van Dusen
Based loosely on a true story, this rhyming picture book tells the tale of what happens when a circus ship wrecks at sea. While the ship is destroyed, the animals swim to a tiny island off the coast of Maine. There, as you might imagine, the townspeople are a little skeptical of the lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) wandering in their midst. Until the night a tiger rescues a girl from a fire, and the townspeople come to embrace the new local wildlife. And just in time, too, because the circus master, an unlikable Mr. Paine, has arrived on the island, and he wants his animals back.

Circus, by Lois Ehlert
Those familiar with the preschool aged children will likely already be familiar with Lois Ehlert’s books, such as Color Zoo and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf.  In Circus, Ehlert invites young readers in to a spectacular circus experiences, using her signature style of simplistic bold colors, and cut-paper collage. There’s an elephant, a contortionist, a lion tamer, and even a friendly clown. Not to mention cotton candy, and snowcones and all the other delights the circus brings. A perfect book for even the smallest circus fan.

Peter Spier’s Circus, by Peter Spier
From start to finish, this book is a visual delight. The story begins with an empty field, until the Circus McNulty rolls into town. Spier shows the reader the true traveling community that makes up the circus, including a schoolhouse, a vet, and a community of performers. After the circus is set up, the performers come out in all their glory, stunning the audience, raising oohs and aahs from the gathered crowds. But the performance must eventually come to an end. The circus closes down, the clean-up crew performs a few miracles of their own, and we are once again left with an empty field.