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The Clown of God
 
 
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The Clown of God (Hardcover)

~ Tomie dePaola (Author) "He would juggle lemons and oranges, apples and eggplants, and even zucchini..." (more)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
List Price: $16.00
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  Hardcover, September 5, 1978 $10.88 $8.88 $0.84
  Paperback, September 5, 1978 $7.00 $3.23 $0.98

Frequently Bought Together

The Clown of God + Night of the Moonjellies + Papa Piccolo
Price For All Three: $33.45

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  • This item: The Clown of God by Tomie DePaola

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Editorial Reviews

Review

In this retelling of the old French legend, a juggler offers to the Christ Child the only Christmas gift he has. “The full-color pictures with subtle tonal modulations are an integral part of the design of the lumious pages full of movement and vitality. The Italianate aspects of the setting are beautifully realized."
(The Horn Book )


Product Description

In this retelling of the old French legend, a juggler offers to the Christ Child the only Christmas gift he has. “The full-color pictures with subtle tonal modulations are an integral part of the design of the lumious pages full of movement and vitality. The Italianate aspects of the setting are beautifully realized.”--The Horn Book
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Hardcover: 48 pages
  • Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (September 6, 1978)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0152191755
  • ISBN-13: 978-0152191757
  • Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,270 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #4 in  Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Juggling
    #52 in  Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > European

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More About the Author

Tomie DePaola
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He would juggle lemons and oranges, apples and eggplants, and even zucchini. Read the first page
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Clown of God
87% buy the item featured on this page:
The Clown of God 4.9 out of 5 stars (26)
$10.88
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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (23)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars powerfully moving story, October 12, 2000
This review is from: The Clown of God (Paperback)
The Clown of God is one of the most powerfully moving books I have read in a long time. This is the story of the adventures of Giovanni, a poor boy whose ability to entertain brings him renown.

The book is full of beautiful illustrations. Tomie de Paola brings real love to the pictures. Giovanni, the people he meets, and the Italian countryside come alive in de Paola's renderings. The visuals in this book dance with color and emotion. However, there are things that run deeper than pretty pictures in these pages.

Henri Nouwen once wrote:

"There is a deep hole in your being, like an abyss. You will never succeed in filling that hole, because your needs are inexhaustible."

Nouwen essentially said that the only solution in this life is to work near the hole. To avoid the twin temptations of dwelling in your pain or working so much that you drown your pain out with the noise of an overly busy life.

Giovanni is representative of all those who get caught in the snare of these temptations. He carries the hole, yet denies its nature. In his youth he believes his hole to be mere physical hunger. Allowing the rumbling of his stomach to overpower the groaning of the Spirit, he begins performing in order to try and fill his hole. Unfortunately, treating the symptom never cures the disease. As Giovanni grows older he avoids his hole by allowing the din of worldly success and the cheering of the crowds to drown out the insistence of the still, small voice.

Only in the end, broken and unwanted by the world, does Giovanni heed the call within. It is a truly beautiful scene when he does. Get the book and witness it for yourself.

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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars lovingly spiritual, November 14, 2000
By "readertoo" (Golden, CO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Clown of God (Paperback)
Giovanni is a orphaned street urchin, begging from door to door and jungling for his food. One day he joins a traveling group of actors and begins his career as a juggling clown, spreading laughter and joy wherever he goes. His fame spreads far and wide, until a day comes when he is no longer young. His special talent, and his admiring audience, leave him and he finds himself once again a poor beggar, homeless and alone. Then on a bitterly cold and windy night he seeks shelter in a church and falls asleep. When he awakens he is surrounded by the beautiful sight of the towns people offering gifts to a statue of Mary and Baby Jesus. When the crowds have gone, Giovanni goes closer and sees that Mary and Jesus have quite sad expressions on their faces. He puts on his clown face and juggles for the lovely child to make him happy. He juggles better than he ever has before. He puts all of his love into his act, and at the pinacle of his performance, dies of a heart attack. The monks in the church, who thought that his performance was a sacrilage, turn to see that the statue of Mary and the baby Jesus are now smiling. A miracle of love. The message of the story seems to be that it is not what you can offer the Lord, but the spirit in which you offer it, that really matters. I bought this book because it was recommended to me and the first time I read it I had my two year old daughter on my lap. When we got to the part where Giovanni begins to juggle for the baby Jesus, I got so choked up with tears that I could barely continue to read. My daughter held my hand and said "it's O.K. - see the baby is smiling." To me that says it all. Five stars isn't enough for this beautifully illustrated and deeply moving story.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Kids Story: Reveals God's Love, May 30, 2002
By George J. Kloss "George Kloss" (Butler, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Clown of God (Paperback)
This easy to read and beautifully drawn children's story shows the intensity and power of God's love. The book's vision is that God's love is simple, straight-forward and more powerful than we could ever expect.

My 3 and 5 year old children love the book and want me to read it again and again. They say "'Read God's Clown' again daddy ...".

The ending deals with death but it is not death in misery or emptiness. The Clown of God reaches God's heart and I think it will reach your heart and your child's heart too.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome book!
My 6-year old son really loves this book. As soon as it arrived in the mail he saw it and wanted to read it. After reading it, he wanted to write a review right away. Read more
Published 2 months ago

4.0 out of 5 stars A Beautifully Told French Legend
The Clown of God is beautifully-illustrated, well-written retelling of a French legend. The orphan Giovanni achieves great heights of fame through a juggling act that culminates... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Shanna A. Gonzalez

5.0 out of 5 stars Clown of God
Item as described - purchased for grand daughter - great child's book - GREAT author -- thank you!
Published 4 months ago by Susan A. Casad

5.0 out of 5 stars My Introduction Book to Tomie
I was at a book fair in Chicago many years ago and Tomie dePaola was signing a book. I LOVE children's books and illustrations, and the colors are what first caught my eye... Read more
Published 10 months ago by ArtyLea

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful classic!
I just love reading this book to my children. They enjoyed it more than I did. This is definitely tagged a classic in my book and I won't be getting rid of it like I do other... Read more
Published 23 months ago by lookin for a bargain

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary
This retelling of an ancient moral story along with the superb pictures make it a necessary addition to the select library used by grandparents and parents for reading aloud, over... Read more
Published on March 9, 2007 by Mark Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Clown of God
This book is a great read for all ages. A strong life lesson and a touching story that will reach out to those who are interested in a book that teaches something about life... Read more
Published on January 12, 2007 by L. Hogan

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this Book!
I love this book. Five in a Row has a great unit study on it. My children (3 yrs and 6 yrs) love it too. It has juggling to appeal to children and it has a beautiful ending. Read more
Published on January 10, 2007 by Sharon L. Rigg

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gift of One's Talents
I remember this tale from my childhood when it was read to me by a nun. Tomie De Paola has beautifully illustrated this story and retold it by placing the events in medieval... Read more
Published on August 22, 2006 by Eolia

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully moving masterpiece
Some stories are offered and they are nice to listen to, and that is all. Other stories are told and they linger in your mind, they captivate the possibility that life, my life,... Read more
Published on July 10, 2006 by A. Risson

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