One of my daughter's SantaThing books from 2022, this picture book is so much fun. It has great rhythm, beautiful artwork, and even a page with hidden animals that my daughter always loves to look at! ( )

I think I have mentioned many times about my love for Chris Van Dusen's illustrations. They are some of the most bright and engaging illustrations out there.

"The Circus Ship" follows animals who have been shipwrecked off the coast of Maine....and of Mr. Paine who wants his animals back at all costs. It's a delightful read full of opportunities to expand a child's vocabulary!! In fact, it was on this latest read through that I was aware of many! ( )

I would recommend this book to younger students who are wanting/needing to read poetry for class, it is a low reading level and could draw younger children in with its pictures. This book goes through the story of a circus on a boat that gets into a crash and the animals and people all end up in a town, which causes conflict at first but then they all become friends. This would be good in a classroom because it shows an engaging story through poems and shows that poems are important in education.

Genre
Picture books for children
Stories in rhyme
Tone
Amusing
Writing Style
Attention-grabbing
Illustration
Cartoony
Colorful
Location
Maine
Subject
Animals
Circus animals
Circus owners
Human/animal relationships
Shipwrecks
Time Period
19th century

This book would be good for all grade levels. It can help teach fluency to all students as well as is a great example of poetry for students. This book is composed of poems that tell the story of circus animals that end up escaping on accident and living in a town in Maine. ( )