Circus Carnivore [Hardcover]

Mark Svendsen (Author), Ben Redlich (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 11, 2006 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When Kate doesn’t get her way she likes to pout, kick, scream, and shout. She loves to be roodle (she’s no goodle-two-shoodles). And she’s got lots of help there, because inside her head is the Noise-amatron, the nonsense machine that makes all of her wailing and other naughty noises. And there are lots of Noise-a-matron workers— Noolman, Tubswort & Co.—who make sure her misbehavior machine is always going full blast.

But suddenly, Kate’s parents order her to BE QUIET!
Now what?

Come on inside for a jabberwocky journey from noise-some to joysome in this phantasmagoric circus of a book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–In a stilted, rhyming narrative, a sullen-looking girl with Ping-Pong-ball eyes reveals her secret to readers. Although them Dullundrears (her parents) think that she comes up with her own noise-some words when she won't be goodle, her rude communiqués are actually generated by the noise-a-matron inside her head and the strange crew of characters that keep it going. For example, Noolman there works the liffin bools,/For screeching out my groigles,/While Tubswort toils on the doo-dad machine,/That stamps my niggly foibles. When her parents shut down the operation, the workers must find a new pursuit, and they decide to form a circus. Unlike the nonsensical words of Lewis Carroll or Dr. Seuss, which propel readers forward with breathless inertia, this book's predominance of made-up terms and the multiple typefaces used make for a jerky and exhausting experience. The story line is nearly impossible to decipher and children will quickly be lost in the mire. Done in an explosion of oils, ink, and collage, the illustrations are derivative of the visual style of Toni DiTerlizzi's work. Much like the writing, the cluttered pictures are also pushed beyond their limits, combining so many elements that viewers' focus is waylaid and ultimately lost.–Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Ben Redlich and Mark Svendsen are friends and neighbors who live in Australia.

Mark Svendsen and Ben Redlich are friends and neighbors who live in Australia.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1 edition (September 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618563288
• ISBN-13: 978-0618563289
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,601,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations, unusual story, October 18, 2011

By 

val - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Circus Carnivore (Hardcover)

I saw this cover & was instantly attracted to this book, after reading the unfavorable review on here by "Art Teacher" who criticizes the work as TOO dark & disturbing, I just HAD to buy it to see what was under the cover! I'm sorry, but whatever evils the previous reviewer thought were lurching here, well, I just couldn't find them. Certainly it is a different type of children's book, but that doesn't make it inappropriate. Perhaps very sheltered children might find it disturbing, mine (4&8) found nothing the least bit shocking. The smiles are not what I'd call evil, just mischievous, as the characters donning them are meant to be a representation of the loudness that keeps getting the girl in trouble with her parents. After being sent again to her room for rudeness, she redirects the tirelessly (bloodshot eyes) "noise-some" manifestations into a more acceptable and joyous line of work. She creates a circus in her mind. Each noisy character is given a new occupation, one particularly rotund one decides to be the human cannonball, he sports a white Evel Knievel style stunt suit with flame embellishments (not blood). My kids enjoyed this book, the nonsense verse was particularly fun for my son who is eight. He enjoyed deciphering the word play & had no problem following the story-line after a slight bit of analysis. If you don't want to encourage critical thinking & exposure to non mainstream art then you should most definitely keep this book away from your children & buy something "positive" instead.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not appropriate for young children, June 10, 2010

By 

GQ "Art Teacher" (Uijongbu, S. Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Circus Carnivore (Hardcover)

Circus Carnivore contains illustrations that are disturbing and dark. Though twisting of non-sensical words into fun-to-say phrases may be amusing, this is, in my opinion, completely innappropriate for children. Whether the bloody human cannonball, bloodshot eyes, or evil grins, it's all a bit twisted and may cause fear of clowns, circus acts, and possibly nightmares. I'm not sure it's even meant for the entertainment of children. I'm sure I was not ammused by it. I did not read it to my son. There are many great, positive children's books out there. This is not one of them.