The Circus Ship is filled with elephants, zebras, giraffes and tigers when it runs aground off the coast of Maine. The circus owner is too self-centered to worry about the animals; he only makes sure to save himself. The bedraggled animals manage to swim ashore and soon win over the villagers with their intelligence and bravery. But of course the greedy owner comes to the village to retrieve his animals. This leads to my favorite illustration in the book; the animals hiding in plain sight!
Chris Van Dusen is the illustrator of the early reader series, “Mercy Watson” and his bright, colorful illustrations perfectly fit this action-packed story.
The circus owner is definitely a bad guy, and though the animals survive and thrive, the book may be a little scary for the under 5 year olds. ~Patti