Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Paddington Bear at the Circus
Illustrator: R. W. Alley
Picture Book Series
For ages 5 to 8
HarperCollins, 2000 ISBN: 978-0060282134
One day Paddington is at the market doing his shopping when he sees a very tall clown putting a poster up on the wall. It is an advertisement for "The World's Greatest Circus! One Night Only." When Paddington gets home he finds out, to his delight, that Mr. Brown has bought tickets for everyone in the family. They will be sitting in the front row at the circus performance and Paddington can barely contain his excitement.
As they are waiting for the show to begin Paddington has an almost mishap when a clown tips a bucket towards him. Luckily the bucket is empty and it is tied to a pole. Paddington is very relieved.
Paddington has barely made a dent in his ice cream cone when he sees a man hanging from a rope at the top of the circus tent. Before anyone can stop him and explain what is going on, Paddington goes to the rescue.
Soon Paddington is at the top of the top of the tent, still clutching his ice cream. He tries to talk to the trapeze artists and then, in the ensuing confusion, Paddington grabs a trapeze bar and goes sailing across the tent. He misses the platform at the other side of the tent and it isn't long before a one-handed Paddington is hanging in midair right over the middle of the circus ring. What on earth can the circus people do to get Paddington down?
In this delightful Paddington adventure the bear from Darkest Peru gets himself into quick a difficult situation. Luckily there are people on hand who have the means to rescue him. With a funny story and charming pictures, this is the perfect book for young Paddington fans.
