"The verse is sprightly, but the pictures are the true stunners."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
When a circus ship runs aground off the coast of Maine, the poor animals
are left on their own, but they soon win over the wary townspeople with
their kind, courageous ways. So well do the critters blend in that when
the greedy circus owner returns to claim them, villagers of all species
conspire to outsmart the bloated blowhard. With buoyant rhymes and
brilliantly caricatured illustrations evoking the early nineteenth
century, Chris Van Dusen presents a hugely entertaining tale about the
bonds of community--and a hidden-pictures spread for eagle-eyed readers
of all ages.