THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE: The Circus Life of Emmett Kelly, Sr., Told with Pictures & Song

by Robert Quackenbush ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1975

Unlike Quackenbush's previous picture book adaptations, this uses only the title and tune of the song which Quackenbush fits out with new words to tell the story of how Emmett Kelly, Sr., lost his trapeze job in the Depression and had to take a new one as a clown. The outcome? ""Oh! This young man's clown, after opening night,/ Was the toast of the town and the children's delight./ His rags showed he shared in America's plight,/ And the people found humor in him."" It's a passable idea, but sung or unsung the lines are both lame and jerky and Quackenbush's predominantly mauve and yellow pictures of an earnest, suited family man offstage and an artificially lit arena project an unintentionally shoddy view of the whole show.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Lippincott

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1975

Categories: CHILDREN'S