Reviews for Clown child
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
K-Gr 3-It's 1910 and Olivia works as a clown in a traveling circus with her father, the "Great Funnybones." She is surrounded by odd but doting friends, animals that she helps tend, and a loving parent who homeschools her. However, as she performs in towns across the prairie, she dreams of a more stable life. While Olivia is visiting a farm couple, a severe storm causes a flood, and she is separated from the circus for several days. During her stay, she enjoys the comforts of a "real home," learning to make "krumkakes," playing checkers, and sleeping in a soft feather bed. Her hostess even talks to her about going to school, but when the quilting ladies come to call, Olivia overhears them say that clown children "ain't much on learnin'!" When Pa arrives, she is happy to move on with a wave and an "I'll see you next summer" to the farm couple. Root uses a blue palette to draw the comfortable interior of the farmhouse and reds and yellows to denote the bizarre yet enticing circus scenes. The artwork pairs soft-edged smudges of rich color with detailed patterns to bring readers into another time and place. A lovely read-aloud that illustrates that home can be a feeling rather than a place.-Shelley B. Sutherland, Niles Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
PreS-Gr. 2. Set in 1910, when cotton candy was called \lquote fairy floss,' this nostalgic story follows a young circus girl who longs for a home with curtains and windows and wallpaper. Olivia and her father are clowns in a small traveling circus. Olivia loves sharing dinners with the other circus stars, and she delights in charming the audiences with her own act. Still, she dreams of settling in one town and going to school. Then she befriends a local farmer and his wife, and when a storm hits, she takes shelter in their home. Although she luxuriates in cozy comforts, she's snubbed by the locals, and when her father retrieves her, she feels a new appreciation for her own talents and for the circus life. The lengthy telling is somewhat disjointed and rambling, but the strong emotions and unusual setting will be a draw. Children, particularly those with unconventional families of their own, will enjoy lingering over the intricately detailed paintings of circus life and the loving family of outsiders. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2006 Booklist
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
An odd tale of a little girl who longs to run away from the circus. Olivia, in 1910, is the Amazing Pickles, a clownlet to her father's Great Funnybones. She juggles, too, and takes care of the animals for the Crystal Caravan circus, but she longs to live in a real house with curtains and wallpaper, and to go to school. In Homersville, they set up in the fields of the Thorstaads, and Olivia is invited into the house for Norwegian krumkakes and tea. Mrs. Thorstaad even lets her soak in the bathtub. But a monster rain storm moves in, and for three days Olivia's father cannot reach her. Mrs. Thorstaad's quilting party does come by, however, and makes disparaging remarks about clown children. A spirited Olivia tells them things regular folk do not know, like not standing in front of the elephants, and demonstrates balancing pin cushions on her nose. When her father finally gets through to take her back to the Crystal Caravan, she knows that her real home is there, even without bathtubs and school. Properly old-fashioned and slightly exaggerated figures fill the blue, red and gold Midwestern prairie landscape amid scenes of times gone by. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ŠKirkus Reviews, used with permission.
