The Saint and the Circus - Hardcover

Piumini, Roberto

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688103782 ISBN 13: 9780688103781

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 1991

Synopsis

When Filofilo the circus acrobat loses his balance on the tightrope, an inept saint in Heaven comes to his aid in ways that are more harmful than helpful

About this title

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

From Publishers Weekly:

Filofilo, the pot-bellied acrobat for the Bumbellini Circus, dazzles his audience, expertly dipping his balancing pole "to give the crowd the thrills they had paid for." Suddenly, a sparrow lights on the end of the pole, tipping it precariously. The acrobat's panicky cry of "Heaven, help us!" alerts the celestial Emergency Room, manned at that moment by the inept Saint Tony, "who had been made a Saint more for his good humor than his good sense." The well-intentioned saint dispatches a second sparrow to even things out--with unhappy results. A pigeon, cat, dog and monkey follow in slapstick succession as the beleagured saint's desperation increases--leaving poor Filofilo swaying overhead. In the lively translation of Piumini's Italian text, humor mounts with the arrival of each new animal, and Root's ( The Araboolies of Liberty Street ) zany depictions of the portly circus star and his startled menagerie are executed with a panache befitting the big top. The antics are somewhat predictable, however, and the book's design--excessive white space and cramped text--may not appeal to all. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0688103782
• ISBN 13: 9780688103781
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Root Barrett V.