Weslandia

Written By: Paul Fleischman

Illustrated By: Kevin Hawkes

Wesley is an outcast from the civilization around him.  He does not like pizza or soda, he thinks professional football is stupid, and he refuses to shave half his head like the other boys have done.  His parents are worried about him, but Wesley has accepted the fact that he is different, and does not care what other people think of him.  As a result of a summer project, Wesley ends up creating his very own civilization, which he rightfully names, Weslandia.  Through it all, Wesley proves that it is all right to be different.

Fleischman’s creativity is richly evident in this picture book that opens our eyes to the world of fantasy.  Fleischman’s descriptive style allows readers to create vivid images in their mind.  For example, he describes Wesley’s newly created clothing as, “Unlike jeans, which he found scratchy and heavy, the robe was comfortable, reflected the sun, and offered myriad opportunities for pockets.”  He also notes the change and curiosity in Wesley’s tormenters, “His schoolmates were scornful, then curious.  Grudgingly, Wesley allowed them ten minutes apiece at his mortar, crushing the plant’s seeds to collect the oil.”

Illustrator Kevin Hawkes, who also pairs with Fleischman in the creation of Sidewalk Circus, creates full-bleed, double-paged spread illustrations that are saturated with vivid colors.  Bright shades of orange, yellow, green, red, and blue jump off the page and bring the illustrations to life.  Just like in Sidewalk Circus, Hawkes brings our attention to different perspectives.  For example, in the beginning of the story we are invited to watch the magic begin as seeds blow into Wesley’s newly plotted yard.  The moving curtains, light, and trees give us the sense of movement and we sense that the story will unfold.  As Wesley’s civilization begins to develop, we are insiders to all of the fascinating secrets of Weslandia.  We feel as though we are sitting amongst the tall stems of the plants right along with Wesley.  Throughout the entire story, the illustrations help us to sense Wesley’s happiness and success.

At the end of the story, we find that Wesley has created a new language complete with an 80-letter alphabet.  We can see that Hawkes has clued us in to this special language with an emphasis on the number eight by illustrating the endpages in what we can only assume is the Weslandian language.

Once again, Fleischman shows his versatility as an author as he takes readers through the eventful journey of a boy who everyone will come to admire.  It was interesting to find out on Fleischman’s website how his childhood related to Wesley’s.   Fleischman does relate to Wesley on some levels.  He did feel different from his peers because he was the shortest boy in his class all the way through tenth grade.  He also made up an alternate world with his friends—just like Wesley.  Unlike Wesley, however, Fleischman says that he wasn’t an outcast and had a great group of friends.  Regardless of how Fleischman’s inspiration of Weslandia came to be, this imaginative story captures the attention of all those who read it.

Dateline: Troy

Written by: Paul Fleischman

The last time I learned about Greek Mythology in-depth was about fifteen years ago when I was in the ninth grade.  It is no wonder that all I can recall are the names of a few of the more prominent Gods and Goddesses like Athena, Zeus, and Poseidon.  Although I do not remember many specifics about Troy, I do recall The Trojan Horse and how it was used as a decoy during the Trojan War.

Needless to say, at the start of reading Paul Fleischman’s, Dateline: Troy, I had relatively vague background knowledge.  As I began to read, I started to fill in some of the gaps I had about the Trojan War.  Fleischman gives us the less comprehensive version of Homer’s, The Iliad and includes some details of the events leading up to the Trojan War.  By doing so, Fleischman enables us to enjoy the story of this Greek Myth by making it easier to understand and follow.  The language is less complex and many details are left out. 

In addition to the story of Troy, Fleischman includes newspaper clippings from modern day times in order to show readers that although the Trojan War dates back to the Bronze Age, things in our world have sadly not changed all that much.   As Fleischman states, “The Trojan War is still being fought.  Simply open a newspaper…”

The headlines that parallel the events of the Trojan War range in date from World War I, which lasted from 1914-1918, through the Persian Gulf War, which occurred from 1990-1991.  In order for Fleischman to make his point, I feel his book should be a bit more current.  I had seen on sites like Amazon and Google Books that there is a new, revised edition of this story.  I was only able to view a few pages of the book online, but the summary of the newer edition still stated that the book still covered current events from 1914-1991.  I am wondering what changes were made in the new book.  It would be interesting to see if a newer book would include more current events. 

Fleischman’s love for history shines through in this book.  Countless hours must have been spent researching and finding the articles that were the perfect match that Fleischman was looking for.  As someone who was either not around or very young during the events recounted in this book, it was powerful to catch a glimpse into the headlines written during this time period.  Fleischman did cut off some of the articles so that you were unable to read each in full.  He left me wondering about the rest of the article. 

I think the most important thing that Fleischman achieved through this book was that he made me wonder about different events in history and he made me want to know more.  It is more interesting to read the headlines and the actual stories of the events in the past than it is to research it sometimes in a book that provides an overwhelming amount of information.  This book got me wondering what else happened and prompted me to search for more.

I was surprised to see on sites like Amazon that this book did get mixed reviews.  Interestingly, children wrote most of the negative reviews.  One critiqued Fleischman for not developing the characters and stated that it was confusing to follow from one page to the next.  Most of the children reviewed that this book would be great if you enjoyed reading mythology, but that if you did not then it would not be for you.   I think you certainly need background knowledge on both important events in American History as well as Greek Mythology prior to reading this book.  I believe this book is similar to Fleischman’s, Bull Run, in the sense that the reader does not get as much out of the book unless a lot of background knowledge is brought to the table.

I found the book to be intriguing and it did get me to think more about our modern day history and how it relates to the past.  It also sparked an interest in learning more about Greek Mythology.  I do think the book needs to be updated to include even more current events—perhaps if it did, the current high-school generation of readers would find the book more interesting and relevant to them. 

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Written By: Paul Feischman

Illustrated by Eric Beddows

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of insects?  I do not think that I ever have.  In my adult years, I consider insects to be a nuisance.  Sure they are helpful to the environment—but I can’t help not wanting them anywhere near me.  I sometimes wonder when my opinion of bugs changed.  When I read stories like Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe or, When Lightening Comes in a Jar, by Patricia Polacco, and most recently, poetry books like Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman and Joyful Noise, by Paul Fleischman, I am reminded of the summertime when I was a child.  I used to spend my time outside chasing fireflies, running around barefoot, digging in the dirt, and picking up worms.

After reading Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, I am reminded of how fascinating nature is.  Fleischman carefully crafted fourteen different poems each from the perspective of a different insect.  He creates a rhythmic beat between the two voices—begging for the poems to be read aloud. 

The poems are simple and easy to understand yet incorporate a variety of literary techniques.  For example, the use of alliteration can be seen in the poem, Fireflies:

“We’re fireflies/flickering/flitting/flashing/fireflies/glimmering/gleaming/glowing”

Fleischman also incorporates rhyme in poems like The Moth’s Serenade:

“Porch/light,/hear my plight!/I drink your light/like nectar…”

In addition, Fleischman uses repetition between both voices as well as in each individual part.  For example, in Requiem, Fleischman repeated the words, “Light undying” several times in each individual part as well as in both voices.  He also repeated the phrase, “Cave crickets/mole crickets/tree crickets/field crickets” between the two voices in what seemed almost like a Row Your Boat type of round.

Fleischman enabled me to visualize and make inferences through his choice of language.   For example, through the Honeybees poem I pictured in my mind the different roles of the Queen bee and the Worker bee.  It was especially interesting to read two different perspectives within the same poem.

Accompanying each poem were simple pencil drawings by Eric Beddows.  The simplicity of these illustrations added to the interpretation of each poem without taking away from the language used in the poem itself.  The illustrations give us a more detailed look of what each insect looks like, although there is still the fictional appeal.  I do believe though that the illustrations are detailed enough to help identify the real deal.

Reading this book of poetry silently was a challenge and I could not convince anyone nearby to read aloud each one with me.  As a result, I tried to see if I could find any of these poems read aloud online.  I was lucky enough to find a YouTube video with the poems read aloud by Opera singer Louis Lebhertz and storyteller Judy Peiken.  What a difference it made to listen!  Both Lebhertz and Peiken did a beautiful job bringing the rhythms and sounds to life as Fleischman intended.  For example, in the poem, Water Boatmen, the readers rolled every “r” in the poem—adding a new dimension of rhythm.  The music that accompanied the reading of the poems added to the mood of each poem.

After reading and listening to the poems of Joyful Noise it will be difficult to not think twice before swatting at an insect that has crept into the house.  I cannot say that I will be found outside chasing fireflies, running around barefoot, or playing in the dirt--but, Fleischman did manage to give me a new perspective on insects in this brilliant collection of poetry.

Bull Run

Written by Paul Fleischman

Woodcuts by David Frampton

For whatever reason, I have never found the Civil War to be exceptionally interesting.  Perhaps it was because the teacher I had the year(s) I learned about it did not tell any good stories and focused on the cold, hard facts—the facts that I also read in the textbook along with a plethora of definitions and descriptions of important people and battles.  

In Paul Fleischman’s, Bull Run, we are given a synopsis of the Battle of Bull Run from sixteen different fictional perspectives.  Eight of characters are from a Northern perspective and eight are from a Southern perspective.  Within these sixteen, we read the perspectives of the rich and poor, the slaves and the free, and young and the old, and those with various jobs within the war.  Finally, history written with stories—this is certainly much more interesting than reading about the battle in a textbook.

As with other Fleischman books I have read, he continues to amaze me with his ability to write across different genres.  Bull Run, a historical fiction novel, incorporates stories that help us see Fleischman’s love for history.  As with in Graven Images, Fleischman is successfully able to write each perspective, or story within the story, in a different voice. 

Although the story was interesting, Fleischman did include sixteen different perspectives in just 102 pages.  Fleischman also wrote from several different perspectives in the short book, Seedfolks, but each person only had one chapter.  If a person was mentioned again throughout the book, it was because Fleischman made connections between characters and tied everyone together through the neighborhood garden.  In Bull Run, Fleischman had short snippits of thought from each perspective and each person had at least three or four different “chapters” in the book.  I preferred the way Flesichman incorporated the characters in Seedfolks because I felt it was easier to make emotional connections and to remember each person. 

Although Frampton incorporated woodcuts at the start of each chapter to signify the perspective that the section was written from, I still found it difficult to keep each character straight.  Fleischman did provide a page in the back of the book that listed each character and their loyalty.  Although this was helpful, I did not feel I should have needed to constantly flip pages in order to remember characters.  It was suggested that this story be performed as Reader’s Theater.  I do think that this would be the best way to read this story.  I think it would be very helpful in fully connecting with and understanding the characters.

In order to fully appreciate this story and understand the value of this book, it is certainly necessary to have specific background knowledge on the Civil War.  I think the information provided in this story is specific to the Civil War and the time period and is not all necessarily relatable to war in general.  For example, in Cynthia Rylant’s, I Had Seen Castles, it did not matter that the story was about World War II.  Any person could gain knowledge from the story regarding different aspects and feelings from war.  In Bull Run, the story would not be as enjoyable if you did not already know information about the Civil War and the time period.

Graven Images

By Paul Fleischman

Illustrated by Andrew Glass    

Three graven images—a wooden binnacle boy, a copper saint, and a marble statue—the main commonality between the three short stories written by Paul Fleischman and Illustrated by Andrew Glass in the book, Graven Images. 

The mysterious tale of The Binnacle Boy is about a wooden binnacle boy who is the only witness to the mysterious death of the Orion’s (a ship’s) crew.  The amusing tale of Saint Crispin’s Follower is about a young boy who follows his heart and the direction of a copper saint to lead him to his love, Juliana.  The eerie tale of The Man of Influence is about a desperate and poor sculptor who honors a dead murderer by sculpting him in marble.

These three tales continue to show the versatility of author Paul Fleischman.  In a biography about Fleischman, it is mentioned that he, “blends musical language with quirky looks at the world as viewed through the lens of human and natural history.”  It continues to mention how in books like Graven Images, Fleischman incorporates his love of music by including rhythm, meter, and rhyme in his writing, which is written in 4/4 time.    He does this, because it is as close as he feels he can get to composing music.

I found this to be very interesting.  I have played the violin for thirteen years and was not sure I understood how to use 4/4 time in writing.  I tried reading some of the text aloud to see if I could figure it out, but quite frankly—I am not sure what he means by that.  Perhaps if I heard Fleischman read the stories aloud, it would make more sense to me.  Do you know what he means by this?

Although I do not fully understand the meter of the text, I do believe Fleischman was successful in altering the style of his language and dialogue to meet the setting and time frame of the text.  All three of these stories seemed to take place long ago.  The first, I felt to have very formal language.  For example, “Dear child—how good to see you,” Miss Bunch addressed Tekoa at the door.  “And good day to you as well, Miss Frye.  As you’re no doubt lonely without your dear son, we felt it to be our solemn duty to lend you our company once again.””

Although the second story is supposed to take place in Charleston, South Carolina at an undisclosed time, from the text I would have thought it was taking place in England.  For example, “You’ve got promise, lad—that’s plain as a peacock.  But you’ll have to give up your moonin’ about…Look alive at your work! Keep your eyelids hoisted! Stay alert as a hare, lad—a hare chased by hounds!”   The first time I read the story I missed the location and assumed throughout that they were indeed in England.

The third story, taking place in Genoa, has a more humorous style of text that help us to realize how helpless and desperate Zorelli the stone carver really is.  “With growing revulsion he took note of the spirit’s missing ear, his crooked teeth, and the long jagged’ rip down the front of his doublet.  Had warm flesh belonged to him he might have been taken for a beggar, or a rag merchant dressed in his wares, and suddenly Zorelli wondered if the man was worthy of salvation in stone—or deserved forgetting, like most of humanity.”  Although the story is odd, I couldn’t help but find the humor in Zorelli’s personality and his nagging wife.  “By tomorrow night we’ll have nothing to gnaw on—unless, of course, you pick up your hammer and carve us a roast goose out of granite.”

Although very few illustrations, illustrator Andrew Glass sets the mood for each story with a single-framed pencil drawing at the start.  He highlights the key character in the story as well as the supernatural elements.  For example, the first illustration is of Sarah Peel whispering into the ear of the Binnacle Boy.  It almost looks as though the wooden boy is scared stiff at what he has just witnessed and what he is being told.  The second illustration is that of the St. Crispin weathervane, Juliana, and the mind-lost apprentice—Nicholas.  We can see through the illustration that Nicholas is a daydreamer.  The final illustration is of Zorelli and the ghostly spirit—Zorelli realizing whom he has just honored in stone. 

Together these three stories combine to provide both spook and humor.  Will these stories replace the ones that children tell at sleepovers when trying to scare each other stiff?  Probably not, but—the tales are certainly peculiar enough to catch the interest of any reader.

Seedfolks

Written By Paul Fleischman

Young children have the ability to see the world from a perspective that many grow to ignore. Children hope, dream, and see beauty when adults have forgotten how to recognize it. Kim hoped that the father she never had the chance to meet would see her from heaven and recognize her as his daughter. She did not realize that the six lima beans she planted for her father would have such a significant impact on those around her. Cleveland Heights was a place made up of people of many different origins. It was a place where people avoided eye contact and did not bother to get to know each other on a personal level. It was a place where hope seemed to be lost. It was a place that has been transformed by the power of six little seeds—transformed into a community full of hope.

In Fleischman’s Seedfolks, I am left wondering and wanting to know more. Fleischman opens the window a crack and allows us to hear the voices of thirteen individuals—representing a diverse and ethnic viewpoint of the world. As I finish the book, I realize I would like to open the window all of the way and learn about the complete lives of these very interesting and very real people.

Ana is the first to notice Kim’s presence in an old lot filled with garbage and rats. She no longer sees the innocence in children and immediately assumes the worst. “I’ve never had children of my own, but I’ve seen enough in that lot to know she was mixed up in something she shouldn’t be…I just about knew what she’d buried. Drugs most likely, or money, or a gun.” Through Ana, we see how people can be hardened after many years of being witness to violence, crime, and despair.

Fleischman continues to use powerful language throughout the text, awakening the reader to the realities of many different life-styles that people live. For example, Gonzalo believes, “The older you are, the younger you get when you move to the United States.” This opens the eyes to the challenges many immigrants face when moving to a new country. Adults can no longer speak for themselves because people do not understand their language and sometimes do not bother to try to understand the broken English. My grandmother emigrated from Italy when she was eighteen years old. When I was younger, I went with my grandmother to the supermarket where she went to the meat counter and ordered chicken cutlets. In broken English, she gave specific instructions regarding the chicken to the man behind the counter. At the age of thirteen, I could sense the man’s impatience and frustrations with my grandmother. I spoke up to clarify for her—just as Gonzalo clarifies for his father when he tries to speak. Fleischman writes, “He didn’t want strangers to hear his mistakes.” This phrase speaks to how people often do not accept the differences of each other and cause people to be uncomfortable in a place they are supposed to be able to call home.

When we are introduced to Sam, we wonder how this garden will bring people together. In describing the garden, Sam notices, “…With a few exceptions, the blacks on one side, the whites on another, the Central Americans and Asians towards the back. The garden was a copy of the neighborhood. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. A duck gives birth to a duckling, not a moose. Each group kept to itself, spoke its own language, and grew its own special crops.” After some disturbances in the garden, people started to worry. Sam explains the precautions taken, “That week, a man put chicken wire around the garden, five feet high, complete with a little gate and padlock…Then came the first KEEP OUT sign. Then, the crowning achievement—barbed wire.” It is at this point that Fleischman makes us feel that there is no chance for a community. These people are working side by side, but remaining just as far apart as ever.

Just when you think all hope is lost, Fleischman interjects signs that the community is beginning to come together. It began when Tio Juan attempted to give Virgil advice on his lettuce crop. Next, Sae Young stands and admires the conversation between man and woman over corn. Later, Sam helps the community by having a contest for the children—awarding twenty dollars to the best solution for water transport to the garden. Sae Young feels like a part of the garden and member of a family when she notices many people using the funnels she purchased to help with filling narrow bottles with water. Leona, the strong-willed woman who convinced the city to clear the trash out of the garden, helps Maricela, a pregnant teen, regain hope and love for the life growing inside of her.

Fleischman is successful in intertwining the lives of the characters together as he shows the community forming. Even though Royce does not have his own chapter, we hear his voice and learn who he is through other gardeners. He starts off trying to go unnoticed, a young boy of fifteen who was kicked out of his home. Curtis first notices him and has him help guard his tomatoes. By the end, Amir says, “How strange it was to watch people who would have crossed the street if they’d seen him a few weeks before, now giving him vegetables, more than he could eat…He was trusted and liked—and famous, after his exploit with the pitchfork…He was not a teenage black boy. He was Royce.”

By the end of the story, we can sense the togetherness of the community as the people celebrate their fall harvest with a Harvest Festival. They shared food, conversation, knowledge, and wisdom. Perhaps in the coming years, they will stop referring to each other by their race and will begin to refer to each other as friends.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal

A Worldwide Cinderella

Written by Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis

C’era una volta…(Italian)

Érase una vez…(Spanish)

Il était une fois…(French)

Es war einmal…(German)

Once upon a time…

Regardless of origin, children around the world recognize these simple words as the beginning of a traditional fairy tale. Language, however, is only one aspect of the diverse cultures and traditions reflected in the innumerable versions of various tales such as Cinderella (or Ashpet, Vasalisa, Sootface, Catskin, or Cendrillon—depending).

The author’s note begins with, “A chameleon changes color to match its surroundings. Stories do the same.” Following this concept, Fleischman and Paschkis incorporate various versions of Cinderella from places like Mexico, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Laos, and China in their tale, Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal. A labeled map of the world, specifically chosen to show these different countries, covers the inside front and back covers of the book and prepares us to embark on our journey around the world where we can listen in to the tale being told.

The book begins with an illustration framed in white of a young girl sitting on the lap of her mother listening to her read the tale of Cinderella. There is a globe on the end table, again giving us the feeling that we are going somewhere—but we are not sure where yet. When we turn the page, we are immediately met with a frame of bright orange and yellow with images meant to reflect the Mexican culture. The text reflects the Mexican version of Cinderella with phrases like, “The woman gave the girl treats when she passed—pan dulce to eat, sugarcane to chew.”

As I continued to read, I noticed that each country was represented with a different color frame. Lime green for Korea, turquoise for Iraq, muted orange for Russia, pink for India, and so on. These colored frames, although also labeled with the name of the country they were representing, helped separate the story so it was recognized when a different culture was introduced. However, the style of the illustrations helped to bring all of the cultures together. For example, there were similar patterns of different shapes that helped the pictures to flow freely together. Interestingly, Paschkis also kept the image of Cinderella generally the same. There was some variation on skin tone and of course, she was dressed to reflect the culture being represented—but her facial features and hair color were very similar in each picture. This made me feel like Cinderella was travelling from place to place throughout the story and becoming part of each tale.

As a reader, I feel it is important to be exposed to many different versions of Cinderella prior to reading this one. In fact, I think it would be interesting to read the full versions of each tale. Although Fleischman did a wonderful job integrating the different tales into one, I think a child might get confused with the changes unless they are already familiar with the story. For example, in the part of the story where Cinderella is transformed from rags into a beautiful garment and shoes, there are several different outfits that Cinderella transforms to. “Then a crocodile swam up to the surface—and in its mouth was a sarong made of gold…a cloak sewn of kingfisher feathers…a kimono red as sunset.” Shortly after, Cinderella shows up at the ball representing Poland. Although the concept is the same around the world—Cinderella dresses to the nines and attends the ball—it could be confusing to make the connections of what is happening if you are not already familiar with the story.

As the story ends, Cinderella is celebrating her marriage to the Prince in several of the cultures represented in the book. They feast on “…mangoes and melons…” from Zimbabwe, “..rice seasoned with almonds…” from India, “…beef stew and lamb stew…” from Ireland, and “…anise cookies and custards…” from Mexico. I wonder if these are traditional celebratory foods for these different countries.

Fleischman concludes the story returning to the white-framed illustration of the little girl and her mother finishing up the story of Cinderella. The globe on the end table looks as though it has spun, showing us that people are still telling the story of Cinderella all around the world.

Babymouse: Queen of the World!

Written By: Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Growing up, I would read the Sunday Funnies in the paper each week. My favorites were Charlie Brown and Garfield. The problem with the Sunday Funnies was that the comics that I enjoyed reading only took about 5 minutes and left me yearning for more. Enter Babymouse: Queen of the World. Finally, a comic that sparked my interest was longer than just a strip in the Sunday paper. A comic that was not full of superheroes. A comic with a plot fully illustrated in pink and black—boy, are kids lucky these days.

As I read through Babymouse, I laughed, I empathized, and I felt as though I was reading a mile a minute in order to keep up with Babymouse’s clever and witty innermost thoughts. Holm and Holm immediately introduce the reader to the sparkly personality of Babymouse by including her in the very first few pages. I couldn’t help but laugh as I read the comment, “What is all this stuff?” on the copyright page and imagined this being a pretty “typical” thought for many.

Babymouse is much like any girl growing up and dealing with the trials and tribulations of SCHOOL and LIFE! She deals on a daily basis with having curly whiskers, an annoying little brother, boring homework, and a locker that sticks when all she really wants is GLAMOUR, EXCITEMENT, and ADVENTURE! She has a best friend that she has known since Kindergarten, but still feels like she wants something more—she wants to be popular—she wants to be friends with Felicia Furrypaws.

By choosing to use the format of a graphic novel, Holm and Holm allow themselves to have several different things going on at one time. It is up to the reader to draw conclusions about what is narration, what is conversation, what is daydreaming, and what is a complete departure from reality. Some clues are given throughout the graphic novel in order to advise the reader, although, in many instances, the reader needs to decide. For instance, a box indicates the text that is considered narration and this is the case throughout the entire book. However, speech bubbles are used to indicate both conversation and thoughts of Babymouse when she is daydreaming.

Holm and Holm also use the use of color in order to uniquely indicate the change from reality to a complete departure from reality. I noticed that throughout the book, the everyday conversations and daydreams were indicated by mostly black and white illustrations with a hint of pink. As Babymouse departs reality, the windows begin to saturate with pink and black—making it very obvious that we as readers are entering a different world.

Regardless of the simplicity of the cartoon illustrations, text, and use of only two colors, I was captivated. Did I want to cry at the thought of Babymouse almost losing her best friend? No, I didn’t. In reality, would the thought of this be something to cry about? Probably. Because of the simplicity of the illustrations and the lack of color, I wasn’t emotionally invested in the character to the point where I found the book anything but humorous. I certainly related to the book and I believe the plot is something most anyone could relate to—even boys—that is, if they are willing to pick it up in spite of the pink and black.

Sidewalk Circus

Presented By: Paul Fleischman and Kevin Hawkes

Do you see an old man posting signs, or a Ringmaster? A young man picking up fruit, or a juggling clown? Is that a young lady walking her dog, or a lion tamer? Garibaldi Circus: Coming soon, or has it already arrived? I suppose the answer to these questions depends on who you are.

The wordless picture book, Sidewalk Circus, presented by Paul Fleischman and Kevin Hawkes depicts the vivid imagination of a young girl, which is contrasted with the adult-imagination—or lack-there-of. It is just an ordinary day in the city for most. Adults in suits are busy with drinking their coffee and reading the morning paper. For the most part, they are completely out of touch with the immediate world around them. A young girl stands out in the crowd and takes her seat at the bus stop—or perhaps, a front row seat for the show.

Fleischman and Hawkes use the power of color and shadowing in order to tell the story of this young girl’s imagination. On the left side of the street, I immediately notice the young girl approaching the bus stop because she is the only one in color. I can’t help but notice the other people approaching the bus stop and those already waiting because of the lack of color. They are all dressed in black, white, and gray and seem to blend in with the dark building behind them.

As the young girl sits down, she becomes a spectator as the shadow of the big top emerges on the buildings across the street. Nothing seems out of the ordinary—yet. With the help of the young girl and the use of shadows, we as readers also become spectators as we begin to see the comedy with events that occur in everyday life. Through the use of double-paged, full-bled illustrations, the illustrator allows us to feel immersed in the action that we are witnessing from the young girl’s perspective. What the young girl is seeing parallels the signs being hung by an old man, who in her eyes, is the Ringmaster. For example, the first sign we see displayed is advertising the Great Tebaldi—Prince of Tight Rope Walkers. Above it, we see a construction worker balancing on a steel beam with two buckets of items.

We continue to see other circus characters throughout the story—Goliath the Strongman as he carries a side of beef on his back into the butcher shop, The Famous Colombo Clowns as two young boys skateboard into a fruit and vegetable stand, and Fantastic Feats of Juggling as a chef flips pancakes in a diner. We continue to be invited to see the rest of the show as we witness the circus through the continuing shadows of the girl’s imagination.

As the bus arrives and the girl gets on the bus, I started to think that the circus might be over. However, a shadow of a clown can be seen as a businessman gets on the bus. Then, off in the distance, a young boy approaches the bus stop. I wonder if he too will catch the early show of the circus. As he notices the first sign advertising the Great Tebaldi, the reader can see a squirrel balancing on a rope. Now I know for sure that the circus has already arrived for this young boy.

This story in particular helps us to understand how important illustrations are to a picture book. Without text, this story allows us to imagine what the words may be and to take a close look at the actions and reactions of the characters in the book. Hawkes gives us the opportunity to see close-up “acts” through his full-bled illustrations. Off to the left side, however, we are also kept in touch with the young girl’s reactions through the use of a sidebar with an oval frame depicting the young girl and those around her. I laugh as we share in the moments of the circus acts together. In one of the earlier illustrations, the girl has her hands out and with a surprised face as she watches the “tightrope walker” and I imagine her saying “Isn’t anyone else seeing this?” All I want to say is, “Yes, I am too!” because the circus has already arrived for me as well.

As I finished the book I did start to wonder: Why do you need an author for a wordless book? Fleischman mentioned that the book did start out with words. Did Hawkes illustrate the book when it had words? I wonder about the collaboration between author and illustrator for this wordless picture book that sparks creativity and imagination in young and old alike.