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CANNONBALL CORALIE AND THE LION by Grace Easton Kirkus Star

CANNONBALL CORALIE AND THE LION

by Grace Easton ; illustrated by Grace Easton

Pub Date: May 19th, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78603-031-3
Publisher: Frances Lincoln

After Coralie befriends the lion in a traveling circus, the entire troupe spurns its dictatorial ringmaster.

Woods-dwelling Coralie swings from trees and juggles, unbound by rules. She’s “funny and brave and silly and strange” but lonely. When the boisterous little circus arrives, Coralie follows it. The Man in the Big Hat bosses everyone. “Less wobbling!” he tells the high-wire cat. “More bananas!” he shouts to the juggling chimp. When Coralie auditions, Lion roars appreciatively, but the Man in the Big Hat dismisses her tricks as “not good enough,” assigning her instead to be a “human cannonball.” Brave Coralie literally rises to the challenge: Easton frames her in midair, the amazed crowd a sea of faces far below. “ ‘ROAR!’ said Lion, which meant, ‘You were amazing!’ ” But the Man in the Big Hat excoriates her performance, banishing her and ordering the performers back to work: “More tricks! Less smiling! And absolutely no caring about each other!” This time, Lion roars so powerfully that man and hat blow clear away. Easton’s matte illustrations make striking use of red and black for the circus’ excitement. The ferny, blue-green woods and Lion’s radiating mane agreeably evoke earlier artists: John Burningham, Martin and Alice Provensen, even Henri Rousseau. Well-paced and patterned, the narrative offers fully seven opportunities for children to join in with a “ROAR.” Coralie and the Man with the Big Hat both present white; other human performers and the circus’s audience are diverse.

A roaring debut.

(Picture book. 3-6)