If You Ever Want to Bring a Circus to the Library, Don't!

February 15, 2017
Quiet in the library? Not while Magnolia is in action!The irrepressible youngster previously brought an alligator to school and a piano to the beach. Now she is a circus master in the library. Smilingly, she informs the librarian, a white male, that she will follow all the appropriate rules of library behavior, but twirling, tightrope walking, and pie-in-the-face throwing unsurprisingly elicit noisy responses from the racially diverse group of children in the audience. (Black-haired Magnolia herself appears to be Asian.) Alas, the cannon that is supposed to toss her is a dud, resulting in a very loud chorus of boos. How to win back the audience? Read aloud from that action-packed thriller The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Smiling faces return, but soon astonishment takes over as the cannon finally does its job--with Magnolia and the others having to realign shelves and pick up all the fallen books. So the lesson is learned: a circus in the library is "way too noisy." Parsley's tale is good fun to read aloud, and the second-person narrative will have listeners immediately caught up in the action. The round-faced children are quite expressive, and the custom typeface embellishes the drama by becoming a dramatic and eye-popping element of the page design. Librarians will love sharing this story, maybe. Their listeners will love hearing it, definitely. (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-You can do anything at the library. Seeing this message on a poster has given Magnolia an idea: she will bring a circus to the library! Will the child upset the librarian and the patrons with her circus? Will she entertain everyone or cause a commotion? As Magnolia performs acrobatics, she reminds her audience to hold their applause, because you can do anything at the library, except clap. Bright, fun illustrations convey the absurdity of her statements. Magnolia's circus includes a clown, pie throwing, concessions, and a human cannonball. Magnolia is mortified when her cannon is a dud and her audience gets antsy. Looking for a distraction, she grabs a book. Reading to the crowd does the trick. Her audience responds so positively to the story that Magnolia learns the power of a good read-aloud. She also discovers that a library is not a good place for a circus. VERDICT This enjoyable romp through the library with Magnolia will engage young readers and keep them looking forward to her next adventure.-Susan Small, Salve Regina University Library, Newport, RI

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2017
In her matter-of-fact way, Magnolia (If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't!) demonstrates that even if a poster states "you can do ANYTHING at the library," you should definitely not bring in a circus. With a text that uses repetition and sound words and bright, playful illustrations with lots of movement and hilarity, this PSA makes a great read-aloud.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)