Not My Circus

by Janet Sumner Johnson, Patrick Corrigan (Illustrator)

Overview

Olivia was supposed to buy eggs at the store. Instead, she bought a circus! Between food fights and a lack of potty training, her mom is not thrilled. When Mr. Victor refuses to take the animals back, it’s off to the zoo for Olivia's new friends . . . unless she can find a way to prove that she is in control of her circus. Janet Sumner Johnson (Braver Than Brave, A Bad Case of the Almosts, and Help Wanted, Must Love Books) takes a simple idiom and turns it into a hilarious story of one girl’s love of animals, weaving in themes of responsibility, determination, and creative thinking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684466221
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Janet Sumner Johnson has been writing for as long as she can remember. She bakes a mean cinnamon twist and eats way more cookies than are good for her, which explains her running habit. Though her full-time occupation as Mom takes most of her time, she sneaks in writing at night when her inner funny bone is fully unleashed. Janet lives in Utah with her husband and three kids.

Patrick Corrigan was born on a crisp, cold December day in a small, cloudy town in Cheshire, England. With a passion for precision as a child, he grew up patiently drawing and designing arts and crafts. This took him to study ceramics at University, train as an art teacher and eventually become an Art Director at a busy design studio where he worked for nearly 10 years. Whilst there he honed his skills working on well over 500 educational and picture books for children as well as animations and branding. Patrick lives and works in the UK using Photoshop, Illustrator and sometimes even real art equipment to create his work. He specialises in illustrating picture books for younger readers and draws best when listening to podcasts or dusty old records and drinking gallons of green tea.

Interviews

Wild, funny picture book with themes of responsibility and determination;

Editorial Reviews

A familiar idiom gets a picture-book twist in this story about a determined animal lover. Olivia’s mother sends her to buy eggs, but she can’t resist when she sees a circus for sale. When the animals make a mess of the house and the neighborhood, her mother insists Olivia get Mr. Victor to take his circus back; Mr. Victor repeatedly replies, “Not my circus.” With a lot of patience and hard work, Olivia finds a way to keep her animals—and the peace.

Foreward Reviews - Danielle Ballantyne

01/01/2024

K-Gr 3—The silliness of the circus meets the need for responsibility in this new book from Johnson. Olivia is given the task of bringing home eggs from the market, but buys a circus instead. When she returns home with monkeys, elephants, lions, and more, her mother tells her she needs to do something about the mess and the manners of the animals. Olivia tries to return the circus to the original owner, but is met each time with "Not My Circus." Olivia learns to train the animals and eventually creates a business helping out members of her community. Young readers will love the silly idioms that complement the lighthearted feel. The bright colors of the illustrations add to the positive outlook and perception of Olivia never giving up on her duty. VERDICT The message of finding a solution and never giving up is clear; decisions have consequences, but negative or positive, readers will know they can work through it.—Elizabeth Libberton

School Library Journal