Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ignored at the circus, an acrobat strikes out on his own in this stylish and amusing story. "Nobody ever noticed him," writes U.K.-based author/illustrator Alborozo as his hero stands glumly atop a stack of chairs, balancing a vase and a ball on two sticks. "They watched the astounding Adele. And Hercule the weightlifter. And Marguerite the Magnificent." After the acrobat sets up shop in a public park, nothing changes: the many children seen flying kites, frolicking in a fountain, and enjoying ice pops take no notice of his tumbling and balancing acts. Alborozo's illustrations are plenty attention-getting in their own right; he drafts in swoopy, expressive black lines, accenting his characters with punches of red, blue, yellow, and green (acrobatics aside, it's almost hard to believe people don't notice the hero for his lurid red-with-blue-diamonds jumpsuit alone). Eventually and accidentally, the acrobat hits on a show-stopping trick (it involves dozens of brightly colored and very cooperative birds), lightly suggesting that fame can't be forced-sometimes one simply has to let these things happen. Ages 3-7. Agent: the Bright Group. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-In this vibrantly colored picture book, a circus acrobat is tired of everyone else being the center of attention and yearns to captivate an audience, any audience. He tries different tricks and stunts, but when nothing works, he decides to strike out on his own. He heads to a park and performs; while there, something magical happens that has nothing to do with his acrobatic skills. The narrative is short and simple, geared toward young children. The entertaining cartoon illustrations feature characters with very expressive faces, done on a larger scale with minimal line work. Children will be captivated by the various images and personalities throughout the story. The contrast of bright color on the spare white background is both effective and appealing. A debut picture book by a former cartoonist that is sure to please.-Megan McGinnis, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY (c) Copyright 2014. 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
Feeling unappreciated, an acrobat leaves the circus and does his best to entertain some children in a park. Unfortunately, no one pays attention to anything he does. When he gives up and feeds the birds instead, something extraordinary happens--and he has a brand new act. With an expressive black line and areas of bright color, Alborozo creates eye-catching compositions that help tell his quietly satisfying story. (c) Copyright 2014. 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
In Alborozo's curiousbordering on surrealtale, a clown finds that attention is hard to grab these days. A circus clown is doing his thing for the audience, teetering on three tippy chairs while balancing a vase of flowers and a ball on long poles. It's good stuff, classic, but the clown finds that the circus-goers would rather watch Adele (she plays the accordion and a bass drumsimultaneously), Hercule the strongman, and Marguerite, who pulls lots and lots of hankies out of her top hat. Rejected and dejected, the acrobat leaves the circus and decides to set up shop in the local park. He juggles, does pratfalls and performs amazing feats of balance, but the kids pay him no attention. "The acrobat decided to feed the birds instead." (Anything for an audience.) And lo, if you feed them, they will come, just like the baseball fans in Iowa. Soon the clown is covered head to toe with a swarm of multicolored little birds, and the kids find this pretty cool indeed. When he is just about to collapse under the birds' weight, the clown does a great jumping jack, and the birds explode away in a dazzle of color and movement. Beat that, Marguerite and Hercule. The simple text, with its soupon of existentialism, and the kooky artwork make this a flash of pleasure. Success comes in the unlikeliest places, so keep on keeping on. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
