Fleischman: Sidewalk Circus

The book reminded me of my childhood. It is a picture book with no true storyline. A child is simply waiting for her bus, and while she waits, she looks across the street and sees an electronic banner and posters advertising for a circus. She uses her imagination and creates her own circus from the activities happening across the street. Before I learned to read, I created my own stories according to what I saw in the pictures. After I learned to read, any word or picture was enough to get my creative juices flowing. For instance, I love cliches or phrases like "cat got your tongue" and "straight from the horse's mouth". They imply amusing thoughts if taken in the literal sense. Anyone can have fun with a vivid imagination, just think it!

Fleischman, Paul. Sidewalk Circus. Illus. Kevin Hawkes. Cambridge MA: Candlestick Press, 2004.