Sidewalk Circus is a wordless picture book set in a modern-day city street. A scrolling marquee announces that the Garibaldi Circus is coming to town, and a workman is putting up a cart load of posters advertising the various circus acts. A little girl, sitting at the bus stop across the street, witnesses each act being �performed� by people in the community as they go about their daily routines. A construction worker carrying two buckets across a high beam becomes the tight rope walker, a man carrying a heavy load is the strong man, a chef flipping pancakes is a juggler, and a painter perched atop a high ladder is a stilt walker. The little girl cringes at the daring sword swallowers (inside Dr. Sharpe�s dental office), laughs at the clowns (two boys on skateboards), and hides her eyes from the escapades of the flying trapeze artists (painters on a collapsing scaffold). When the little girl climbs aboard the bus, a boy takes her place on the park bench and the show starts all over again as a squirrel boldly dashes across a �tightrope.�
The story is foreshadowed on the cover of the book, where the people and animals on the sidewalk cast shadows of circus characters. The role of the workman pulling his cart of posters is suggested by his larger-than-life shadow depicting a circus ringmaster and the end-pages of the book echo the theme with silhouettes of circus performers. The story is viewed from the perspective of the child at the bus stop, who imagines the townspeople alongside each poster as circus performers.
The artist draws our attention to the little girl watching the circus by painting her in bright, sunlit colors, while others at the bus stop are depicted as if in shadows. As the girl gets on the bus, she is portrayed in the same muted colors as the other passengers. The reader�s attention is drawn to an approaching boy, awash in bright colors, who will take the girl�s place as the sole audience member. The artist uses bright acrylic paints and an impressionistic style to convey the movement and color of a circus in the figures juxtaposed against the straight lines of the buildings, power lines, and street.
The ability of children to notice and appreciate what is often lost on adults is celebrated in this little book. The authors� understanding of this gift of discernment is evident in the illustrations. A casual viewer would not notice that the hair of the skateboarder is the same orange mop of curls as that of the clown in the poster. The fact that the squirrel scampering across the �high wire� is using a twig for balance, just like the tight rope walker in the poster, is sure to be appreciated by children. The characters, who cast shadows of their circus counterparts (animals as well as people), will be a source of delight to young readers. The bounty of hidden treasure in this book is sure to please children, as well as the adults who share the experience with them.
Related Web Sites:
Paul Fleischman�s official website: http://www.paulfleischman.net/
A Fun Circus Site: http://www.bigapplecircus.org
Read about Kevin Hawkes: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/hawkes.html