The Circus Ship

We recently borrowed a fun picture book from our local library called The Circus Ship. With a title as such, you might expect to see bears on bicycles, silly monkey antics or even a tiger jump through a ring of fire… Oh, wait, you do see those things…but not in a circus ring as you’d expect.

In The Circus Ship, you are never bored as the storyline moves along at a steady pace, keeping the reader rapt at each twist and turn of the plot. There is a shipwreck early in the book that spews the circus animals out into the water. While the circus owner is saved, his animals are left to find their own way to safety. The furry, scaly, and spotted group of fifteen manage to do this successfully, only to find themselves now at odds with the residents of the small island where they swam ashore.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the circus animals to gain the trust and adoration of the villagers after the tiger helped them out in a troublesome situation. The villagers in turn were more than happy to return the kindness and help the animals out when the circus owner returned in an attempt to retrieve the stars of his show. The villagers’ plan to save the animals from going back to their circus life had me and the kids in fits of giggles. So hilariously clever! (I won’t share photos of that two-page spread here. I don’t want to ruin the fun. :) )

As a Mom who has read countless books out loud to my kiddos, I can honestly say that I found this charming book to be really enjoyable to read aloud. It has an ABCB rhyming pattern throughout the book that is never forced (this is of utmost importance with rhyming books), and the rhymes were a pleasant surprise as my 7-year-old son absolutely loves them.

And I would be amiss to not mention the captivating illustrations in this book. With an Artist for a husband, my eye has been trained to search out picture books that will get his artist approval, and The Circus Ship easily made the cut. I thought it was interesting to find out that the Illustrator for this book is actually the Author himself. Such talent! On each page that featured the story’s circus crew, the kids enjoyed picking their favorite animal based on the hilarity of their presentation. (An interesting side note: Chris Van Dusen is also the illustrator for the Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillo, for those who have heard of that series as well.)

When you give this book a read, be sure to flip right to the last page for the Author’s Note. Here we learn that the storyline for this book is lightly based on the true story of another circus ship, the Royal Tar, that sunk in 1836. Thankfully, Van Dusen’s 20th century version is family-friendly with a positive outcome in contrast, but any bonus historical learning is a plus in this house! I hope, like us, you find The Circus Ship to be an engaging and interactive book that elicits a bounty of giggles to share.

The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

Published in 2009