Clown Child
Kindergarten-Grade 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, ILCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.