Claude at the Circus (Claude)

by Alex T Smith (Author) Alex T Smith (Illustrator)

Claude at the Circus (Claude)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Claude

Claude is no ordinary dog--he leads an extraordinary life!

When Mr. and Mrs. Shinyshoes leave for the day, Claude and his best friend Sir Bobblysock take a walk in the park. Suddenly, a woman calls for help, and they find themselves rescuing a runaway baby carriage--with the baby still inside! To reward their heroism, The Amazing Alan invites them to watch his circus. They arrive early, and, as he's been on a cleaning frenzy lately, Claude decides to tidy up the big top. In the process, he accidentally sabotages the performers' equipment. But the show must go on--even if Claude and Sir Bobblysock have to put on the entire thing themselves!

Quirky, delightfully odd, and positively surreal, Alex T. Smith's illustrated early chapter book series promises giggle-filled bedtime reading and a laugh-out-loud option for readers transitioning from picture books to chapter books.

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School Library Journal

Gr 1-3—Fastidious, fashionable Claude, "A small, plump dog who wears a beret and a rather fetching sweater," and his pal Sir Bobblysock treat themselves to a day at the park. When the pair attempts to be good citizens by filling in the many holes and picking up balls that litter "a funny sort of field," angry golfers chase them with raised clubs. Claude picks up a "Wet Paint" sign—"another piece of trash he found stuck to a bench." He then takes a ride on a scooter, which enables him to rescue a baby whose buggy has run downhill toward a pond. Because of this feat, the two receive free tickets to the circus. They arrive early, and "give the tent a jolly good spring clean," unwittingly sabotaging the performers' equipment and ruining the show. But the pup entertains the crowd by juggling white balls, riding in the clown cars, and flying on the trapeze with Sir Bobblysock. The friends are rewarded by getting sent home via cannon blast. When his owners return, they wonder "why Claude is wearing a glittery crash helmet...and why there's a Claude-shaped hole in the roof?" The digital black-and-white cartoon illustrations with touches of pink let readers know more about the dog's world than what the text describes. A map of the park provides the opportunity to visually trace Claude's day, and three silly jokes are appended in a "How to be a Clown" page. There is lots of fetching humor for transitional chapter book readers.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Fans of Amelia Bedelia will find this sort of thing hilarious... The climax has everything a child could want in a book."
Alex T Smith
After briefly considering careers in space travel, cookery, and being a rabbit, Alex T. Smith finally decided to become an illustrator. He earned a first class honors degree in illustration and went on to create the award-winning Claude series which has been developed as an animated TV show. When he isn't doodling in his sketchbook, Alex can be found people-watching and eavesdropping. He lives in England with two very tiny and naughty dogs. Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_t_smith and visit him on the web at www.alextsmith.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781561459803
Lexile Measure
820
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Peachtree Publishers
Publication date
March 07, 2017
Series
Claude
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
JUV045000 - Juvenile Fiction | Readers | Chapter Books
JUV031010 - Juvenile Fiction | Performing Arts | Circus
Library of Congress categories
Humorous stories
Dogs
Circus
Parks

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