Circus and clowns is a storytime topic you can do any time during the year. There are several newer books on the circus that appeal to kids, even if they haven't been to an actual circus. For craft ideas, I often visit www.about.com, and then do a search. They have a wealth of webpages on family crafts, and you can search a specific idea like circus crafts or clown crafts, to find something that fits your theme.

• Falconer, Ian. OLIVIA SAVES THE CIRCUS.
  At show and tell, Olivia describes how she substituted for all the circus performers who were out sick, by flying on a trapeze, etc.
• Peek, Merle. THE BALANCING ACT: A COUNTING SONG.
  Elephants balance on a tightrope in this "subtraction" song.
• Bronson, Linda. THE CIRCUS ALPHABET.
  Dramatic three-dimensional illustrations depict a circus.
• Ehlert, Lois. CIRCUS.
  Ehlert's signature cut papers illustrate this circus of flying zucchini and clowns.
• Slate, Joseph. MISS BINDERGARTEN PLANS A CIRCUS WITH KINDERGARTEN.
  The popular kindergarten teacher and her 26 alphabetically named students put on a circus at school.
• Emberley, Rebecca. MY MOTHER'S SECRET LIFE.
  When mother yells at the messy house "This place looks like a three-ring circus!" it really turns into one!
• Sampson, Michael. STAR OF THE CIRCUS.
  Sizes are depicted when each circus animal is pushed off the stage by a larger animal.
• Priceman, Marjorie. EMELINE AT THE CIRCUS.
  Emeline becomes the star of the circus, unbeknownst to her preoccupied teacher.
• Freeman, Don. BEARYMORE.
  While hibernating, Bearymore dreams up a new circus act.

August 24, 2003