Customer Reviews

The Secret Circus

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The perfect bedtime book, this has instantly become a family favourite. Everything about it is well judged, from the song like repetition of the text to the heart warming illustrations. The pacing of the story is impeccable and while it is simple enough to be accessible to very small readers, older child will find much to discuss and discover hidden between the lines. This is a lilting lullaby of a story. The quirky, whimsical illustrations are full of charm and spontaneity and the 'not too perfect', outside the lines colouring has been commented on encouragingly by several aspiring young artists. It particularly struck a chord with my foster child and has provided a natural and unthreatening starting point for discussion of a number of sensitive topics such as belonging, racism, keeping secrets and being away from home. We seem to find something new, every time we read it, despite the initial simplicity at first glance. Perhaps most importantly though, 'The Secret Circus' sends my little ones off to sleep feeling a little safer, a little snugger and a little happier in the world. Thoroughly recommended.

A fresh voice on the Childrens Book Scene, and those full-color illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to embark on the trail to find the Secret Circus. What could be better than this short, sweet adventure book? Read this delightful book to your little ones.

I am always on the lookout for unusual children's books - and "The Secret Circus" was a pleasant and refreshing surprise. We are going to a circus show in a couple of weeks, and it is going to be my preschooler's first time at a circus. I thought it would be neat to read books on the circus before the show, and when I found this at the library, I just picked it up and put it in our book bag, thinking it was going to be another regular old book about a conventional circus. To my delight and surprise, this is no ordinary circus book, but filled with an imaginative world that had both our [me and my preschooler's] imaginations soaring!

I don't want to give away too much, suffice to say that the book centers on a group of mice in Paris, who are going to a special circus performance, a secret so special and heavily guarded, only the mice know about it. Read "The Secret Circus" and discover all about it, but then, you'll have to keep the secret too!

I love the book! It's every bit as cute and romantic as the preview described it!

Sometimes, when I stare into one of those little water-filled holiday snow globes, I find myself temporarily swept in --swirling around as a snow flake, taking in a rich little world within a world. A Secret Circus likewise is a pleasant peek into another world but one that is so much richer and so teeming with life that it deserves to be shared.

My wife reads it to the children we babysit now and again, and they've yet to grow tired of reading it. They like to pick their favorite mice.

The text and images are at once sparse and rich. They set a quiet pace with just enough intrigue and wonder to let the children's own imaginations fill in some of the gaps.

When I was a young child, I would have loved Johanna Wright's first picture book, The Secret Circus. What would have appealed to me then (and does even now) is the sense of a cozy little world that you can step into. The story takes place in Paris and centers around a circus that is so "secret" that only the mice know about it. And as you would expect of Parisian mice, they dress exquisitely for their evening entertainment. It would be an excellent book to share with a young child who is tucked under the covers with visions of secret worlds in their dreams.

I love this book - the paintings are beautiful & the story is lovely. The magic of Paris and a secret circus couldn't be a sweeter story. I have been giving it to everyone I know that has children. It is my go to gift for baby showers and youngsters birthday.

One of the sweetest books I have ever read. I love the illustrations. Excellent book, Johanna!

A contemporary classic. I ordered a copy for my nephew, who loves it, and am about to order another for a colleague's son.

Our daughter loves The Secret Circus! The imagination is wonderful, the pictures are beautiful - it's the perfect bed time book. Johanna Wright knows exactly how to tell a child's story - can't wait for the next one.