SAWDUST AND SPANGLES

Though so sketchy that his death (and the fact that the title is borrowed from his autobiography) isn’t even mentioned, this profile of the indefatigable and once-renowned circus impresario captures the fascination with spectacle that drove him, alone and in partnership with P.T. Barnum, to organize a number of circuses, sideshows and other popular attractions. The authors tally his innovations, which included the idea of a “circus train,” multiple rings under the Big Top and the magnificent New York Aquarium, and then close with a page of further colorful anecdotes. Potter depicts Coup and some of the circus and sideshow acts he presented in broadly brushed, typically stylized scenes, taking him from dazzled small-town lad to nattily dressed showman proudly presenting his array of marine life to viewers. Barnum tends to outshine all of his contemporaries and successors, but here’s at least a suggestion that his story wasn’t the only one. (Picture book/biography. 7-9)