To the Big Top

By Jill Esbaum

When the circus comes to Willow Grove, Benny and Sam are in for more excitement than they can shake a stick at: elephants and acrobats, candied apples and a calliope, even a snake enchantress. They can't think of anything better than helping the circus men set up for the grand event - until the Big Top boss gives them two tickets for the show! But then Sam's ticket disappears, and it's up to Benny to save the best day ever. A tribute to the great occasions and small gestures that children will remember for a lifetime, this boisterous tale about fun and friendship is enlivened by David Gordon's jubilant illustrations. To the Big Top is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374399344
• ISBN13: 9780374399344
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.9" x 0.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

Sam and Benny wake up before dawn to greet the circus train at the rail yard, and they eagerly anticipate a day of excitement with circus events. The boys help the workers set up for the show, they watch the parade from atop a tree, and they take in the sights and smells during their walk down the midway. A near mishap with a lost ticket almost costs them the opportunity to enjoy the main event, but some smart thinking prevents this disappointment. While the circus theme is no stranger to children's literature, this book stands out for the economics lessons that are carefully woven throughout the tale. An author's note conveys the importance of the circus as a source of amusement during a time period with fewer options for entertainment, and as a source of jobs for hundreds of employees in a variety of occupations. Also incorporated into the story are the ideas of scarcity (Sam and Benny have no money but they are rewarded for their volunteer work with two nickels and two tickets), choice (they need to decide how to spend their precious nickels on the many food and entertainment options in the midway), and exchange (they make a trade in order to get back the missing ticket). This clever book is no ordinary circus tale.