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PRESCHOOL
LaReau, Kara

Baby Clown

32 pp. | Candlewick | April, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-9743-3 $16.99
(2) PS Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. "When Boffo and Frieda Clown had a baby, everyone in the circus was over the moon. 'A STAR is born!' said the big boss, Mr. Dingling." Unfortunately, Baby Clown does nothing but cry, which is problematic for the clowns as well as the circus, with Mr. Dingling expressing his displeasure via veiled threats of dismissal. Cordell's jerky, energetic pen-and-ink lines and watercolor washes heighten the sense of agitation and stress as Baby Clown's parents and colleagues (including the trapeze artists, the tightrope walker, and even the animals) try every means to soothe the infant, without success. When the sold-out circus opens, Baby Clown wails through his debut, his misery depicted in a dramatic close-up. Of course, the audience thinks it's all part of the act, and Baby Clown, with show business instincts after all, finds the one thing that soothes his spirit--applause. Full of silliness to enjoy in both art and text, the story may resonate on another level with families who have known the struggle of settling a screaming infant.
Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

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