Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-7. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the greatest show on earth. Please take your seats," begins Ehlert's introduction to the sights and sounds of the big top. The razzle-dazzle of the circus is tough to translate into the relative quiet of the picture-book experience, but Ehlert comes as close as any. Her text, though predictable, reveals a good ear for the ringmaster's typical patter; meanwhile, her eye-zapping visual interpretations of the hawkers and performers electrify the experience. Cutting brightly colored papers into simple shapes, Ehlert creates striking collages on the double-page spreads. She uses combinations of intense colors against backgrounds of equally bold hues or black, and she often juxtaposes complementary colors for an additional visual jolt (See color reproduction of dust jacket on masthead page). Those who catch the gentle humor will find the book doubly rewarding: the ringmaster requests silence while "the flying Zucchinis attempt a twisting triple somersault. Will the fainthearted please close their eyes." One of the "Zucchinis" (who, dressed in their green-striped suits, bear a passing resemblance to the vegetable) promptly covers his eyes. While the graphics seem too bold to make this an effective lap book, a background of appropriate music and a little applause from the peanut gallery will quickly turn Ehlert's picture book into a memorable story-hour experience. (Reviewed Jan 1, 1992)0060202521Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Performers of all descriptions cavort across Ehlert's ( Color Zoo ; Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf ) pages, rendered as iridescent geometric shapes against dramatic black backdrops. Along with classic circus acts--a bareback rider, a fierce lion, ``the world's biggest elephant''--are unusual, eccentric choices: a pair of leaping lizards, a band of marching snakes and ``those marvelous musclemen, the Pretzel brothers, who form a towering human pyramid.'' These dazzling artistes are introduced by a ringing text that captures the voice--alliterative, hyperbolic, a tad bombastic--of a grand circus master. Ehlert's characteristically vibrant colors and exhilarating style find even broader scope under the big top. Performed with panache, her junket gives new life to a favorite children's venue and is well worth the price of admission. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-- Just when you think this author/illustrator can take her cut-paper collage style no further, she delights readers with another dazzling display of her talents. This latest offering is a tour de force. After some exuberant preliminaries, a colorful master of ceremonies welcomes readers to ``the greatest circus on earth.'' They are then treated to a series of double-spreads depicting an array of performers: Hugo, the world's biggest elephant; the Pretzel brothers; Samu the tiger; marching snakes and leaping lizards; the flying Zucchinis; a lion and his tamer--and of course, cotton candy, snow cones, and a lovable clown. The text consists of the ringmaster's running monologue as he directs the crowd's attention and reactions, and is less effective than the art. The genius of the work lies in the illustrations. Each spread compels children to look and look again at the way color and shapes combine to create characters that enchant both the sophisticated and untrained eye. --Eve Larkin, Middleton Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Fritz, the wonder bear; the Pretzel brothers muscle-men; Samu, the fiercest tiger in the world; and other collage figures offer energetic entertainment in a delectable barrage of colors. The playful celebration of the circus is a most joyous use of the graphic-art style which Lois Ehlert continues to expand and refine. From HORN BOOK 1992, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Caldecott Honor winner Ehlert (Color Zoo, 1989), who's noted for her bold, innovative graphics, presents the circus in stylized shapes so simple that they could have been cut with kindergarten scissors--flat areas of intense, clashing colors set off by solid black or deployed against hot-pink or electric-blue, as vibrant as the circus itself. In a novel piece of design, the pages are substantially narrower than the covers, allowing two rows of stars on the endpapers to provide a frame. Appropriately, the text is a ringmaster's patter, flamboyantly introducing the attractions--with a little time out midway for cotton candy and other treats. The resplendent colors will especially appeal to the youngest; fortunately, the pages are sturdy. Dazzling. (Picture book. 0-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
