PreSchool-K-- Young children watch as a small circus troop sets up, practices, and performs its show. Goennel continues her technique of painting flat shapes in acrylic on canvas. Her people remain faceless, but distinguishing characteristics such as hairdos, glasses, mustaches, and postures set them apart as individuals. Only the lion and tiger have detailed features. Areas of bright and muted colors are juxtaposed on the pages to create a harmonious layout, design, and flow of images. The paintings are childlike in their simplicity yet elegant. There is an abstract quality to them, but they still manage to evoke the wonder of a circus--no matter how small. The text is brief and matter-of-fact; it is usually limited to one sentence per double-page spread. There is very little story here; the illustrations are the book's raison d'etre . --Alexandra Marris, Rochester Public Library, NY View more great items