View source for The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

{{infobox2
|title=The Circus Ship
|sort=Circus Ship
|author=Chris Van Dusen
|reviewer=Keith Dudhnath
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A fun look at circus animals making their home in a 19th century town in Maine. The cutesy illustrations might not be to all tastes, but it's an engaging tale with a strong sense of rhyme.
|rating=3.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=40
|publisher=Candlewick
|date=November 2009
|isbn=978-0763630904
|aznuk=076363090X
|aznus=076363090X
|cover=076363090X
}}

When a circus ship sinks off the coast of Maine, the animals escape and make their home in a nearby town. They soon enchant the locals, who in turn decide to protect the animals from the greedy circus-owner. Very loosely based on the sinking of the ''Royal Tar'' in 1836, ''The Circus Ship'' is a fun picture book that animal-lovers will enjoy.

''The Circus Ship'' is a jolly and lyrical tale, with a nice sense of rhyme and rhythm throughout. Children will love seeing the exotic animals finding their place in a run of the mill town. The core tale is one of real animals and people, but there is a healthy smattering of flights of fancy, which keeps everything amusing and upbeat. Kids'll laugh at bears riding penny farthings, imagine going swimming with an elephant, and wishing they could curl up for a picnic with a tiger.

Chris Van Dusen's illustrations are very cartoony, with the people having a hint of Disney about them. To a degree it suits the tone of the book, but I found myself leaning towards the more realistic parts of the drawings. At times, the animals can be a bit too cutesy for my tastes. I loved the page where the animals are hiding, which becomes a ''Where's Wally?'' type of finding game - not only is it great fun, but the atmosphere of the town is captured wonderfully.

There's slightly more text than the average picture book, so it's great for children heading towards being able to read for themselves. There's nothing that will confuse or bore the youngest readers, so if they're looking for a bit more substance in their stories, then they'll find much to enjoy.

My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.

[[Jack's Tractor by Thomas Taylor]] has a similar look to it, and also features a menagerie. [[The Two-by-two Band by David Flavell and Alison Bartlett]] also features animals and a boat - this time, Noah's Ark.

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