Reading, Writing & Chocolate: Circus Books

I love reading books about the circus. I have an entire bookshelf at home filled with fiction and non-fiction books about life under the big top.

I am currently immersed in the wonderful language and intriguing characters in the novel, The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. My idea of the perfect winter Sunday afternoon is baking a batch of chocolate-espresso brownies and curling up in the cozy chair with a new circus book.

There are many fun, colorful picture books and several juvenile fiction books for 4th and 5th graders with circus themes. I often recommend circus books for parents and kids to check out in the Children's Room at the Katonah Village Library.

For young picture book fans, I suggest Twenty-One Elephants by Phil Bildner, Circus Girl by Michael Garland, Circus Train by Joseph Smith, Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer, Little Kit or The Industrious Flea Circus Girl by Emily Arnold McCully, Circus Girl by Tomek Bogacki, and of course, If I Ran the Circus by Dr. Seuss.

For 4th and 5th graders, I heartily recommend reading When the Circus Came to Town by Polly Horvath. More good choices include Circus Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, Dr. Doolittle's Circus by Hugh Lofting, and Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus by James Otis.

The vivid circus descriptions of colors (stripes, polka dots), smells (cotton candy,popcorn), sights (clowns, jugglers), and sounds (elephants, brass bands) evoke vibrant images that kids can visualize even if they have never seen a circus in person.

In addition to reading about the circus, I like to incorporate the circus setting into writing prompts for my Creative Writing classes for children and adults. A circus photograph always brings forth imaginative and emotional stories written by students of all ages.

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, step right this way...

Stop into the Children's Room at the and I'll help you select circus books to fill the upcoming winter nights with colorful sights and images.

If you know a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader who likes to write, come in and ask me about my Creative Writing classes for children. The winter session starts on January 21st.