Why read The Circus Ship?

Book cover of The Circus Ship

Book description

With stunning artwork and a rhyming text, the illustrator of the Mercy Watson books tells a tale of human-animal connection full of humor and heart.

When a circus ship runs aground off the coast of Maine, the poor animals are left on their own to swim the chilly waters. Staggering…

Explore

Topics

Genres

Historical fiction

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Circus Ship as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Christine J. Ko

Author

Oh, if just for the gorgeous and relatable illustrations, please pick up this book!

But even more, the catchy rhymes tell a story of pre-judging animals and how hearts become changed so that all can coexist in a vibrant community. Together, we are better!

As a bonus, the book has hidden pictures that my son and I enjoyed discovering each time we read the book.

From Christine's list on promoting curiosity about our differences.

Bo Yoder

Author

A ship of circus animals is shipwrecked off an island in Maine, and the island residents are at first shocked, then come to love having the animals on their island. When the mean circus owner comes back to retrieve his animals and put them back to work, the islanders come up with a plan to hide the animals to allow them to stay on the island.

This book is written as a poem, so it is fun to read out loud, and the animals who are all doing silly things are a big hit with my kids.

This book gets…

From Bo's 3-year-old's 3 favorite reads in 2023.