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Summary
Summary
An award-winning author and a Caldecott Medalist introduce an adorable new circus star -- who won't stop wailing!
When Frieda and Boffo Clown have a baby, everyone in the circus is over the moon. But there is just one problem: Baby Clown won't stop crying! Frieda and Boffo try everything: putting on their silliest faces, driving him around in their tiny car. They even try taking off his red nose and big shoes. But that just makes Baby Clown cry more. Can Frieda and Boffo turn his little clown frown upside down in time for the sold-out show? Kara LaReau deftly juggles wit and warmth in this hilarious nod to parental persistence, while Matthew Cordell's big-top-bright illustrations bring Baby Clown and his circus family to humorously frazzled life. Older siblings, in particular, will step right up to this applause-worthy picture book, joining Baby Clown in many a heartfelt "WAAAAH!"
Author Notes
Kara LaReau is the author of many picture books for young children, including Ugly Fish and Otto: The Boy Who Loved Cars, both illustrated by Scott Magoon. She is also the author of the chapter books The Infamous Ratsos, The Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid, and The Infamous Ratsos: Project Fluffy, all illustrated by Matt Myers. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
Matthew Cordell is the Caldecott Medal-winning author-illustrator of Wolf in the Snow , as well as many other books, including King Alice and Wish . Matthew Cordell lives in Illinois.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
LaReau's absorbing problem-solving tale offers a funny look at grown-ups stymied by a very small human. Baby Clown cries all the time, and loudly. Boffo and Frieda Clown, his harassed parents, are stuck; nothing they try works. "WAAAAH!!!" spreads across the pages, the visual equivalent of infant screams radiating through space. "There is no room for crying in my circus," says Mr. Dingling, the big boss. The two performers wear their clown costumes and makeup even when they're at home, which adds hilarity to their earnest diaper changes and bedtime routines. Frieda's multicolored wig and Boffo's electric blue hair are drawn by Cordell (Explorers) at his antic best, in scribbly spreads filled with expressions of comic dismay, false cheer, and misery. LaReau (the Infamous Ratsos series) narrates in straightforward prose, using repetition to good effect: "The trapeze artists tried./ Then the animals tried./ Even the wire walker tried./ But still, Baby Clown cried." Fortunately, it turns out that Baby Clown has a natural bent for performance. Even clowns may find themselves rearing a fussy child, but all is not lost: communities can pitch in, and children can find their way. And when all else fails, try thunderous applause. Ages 3--7. Author's agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. Illustrator's agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Apr.)
Horn Book Review
When Boffo and Frieda Clown had a baby, everyone in the circus was over the moon. A STAR is born! said the big boss, Mr. Dingling. Unfortunately, Baby Clown does nothing but cry, which is problematic for the clowns as well as the circus, with Mr. Dingling expressing his displeasure via veiled threats of dismissal. Cordells jerky, energetic pen-and-ink lines and watercolor washes heighten the sense of agitation and stress as Baby Clowns parents and colleagues (including the trapeze artists, the tightrope walker, and even the animals) try every means to soothe the infant, without success. When the sold-out circus opens, Baby Clown wails through his debut, his misery depicted in a dramatic close-up. Of course, the audience thinks its all part of the act, and Baby Clown, with show business instincts after all, finds the one thing that soothes his spiritapplause. Full of silliness to enjoy in both art and text, the story may resonate on another level with families who have known the struggle of settling a screaming infant. Julie Roach March/April 2020 p.63(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
At the Dingling Circus, "a STAR is born"but how can he dazzle the audience when he won't stop crying?In the grand tradition of Marla Frazee's The Boss Baby (2010), Kate Beaton's King Baby (2016), and others, a pair of overwhelmed new parents navigate their infant's attempts to communicate. Boffo and Frieda Clown feed and burp Baby Clown, change his diaper, juggle for him, and even ask their fellow circus performers to entertain him in hopes of ending his wailing. Cordell's characteristically loose ink-and-watercolor illustrations brilliantly evoke Quentin Blake's Clown (1996), with large oval eyeballs and expressive mouths and hands. The clown parents' dramatic features are further exaggerated as they experience dismay, frustration, and abject despair (in one spread, Frieda lies on the floor in the fetal position while Boffo, on his knees, begs Baby Clown to be quiet). All efforts to cheer the tot fail, but the show must go on: The sold-out crowd (depicted in shades of sepia) is eager to see Baby Clownand their eagerness results in an unexpected solution! The clowns' makeup is paper-white, and Baby Clown has a shock of brown hair and light-colored hands; "big boss" Mr. Dingling is the only character with distinctly brown skin.Both amusing and endearing; caregivers and close acquaintances of newborns will feel seenand heard. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The Clowns' new baby cries incessantly, a source of dismay to his parents, big boss Mr. Dingling, and the other circus performers. Boffo and Frieda go to great lengths to soothe him (feeding, burping, changing, rocking, and driving him around in their tiny car), all to no avail. Still, the show must go on. Mid performance, Baby launches into a full-scale, screaming meltdown, resulting in surprising applause from the crowd (who think it's part of the act) and, after some consideration, giggles and silly faces from Baby. Geisel Honor Book author LaReau's understated text highlights the frustrating mysteries of early infancy, leaving Caldecott Medal winner Cordell to reveal the situation's inherent humor. Using ink and watercolor, he portrays the characters as suitably goofy (the performers wear costumes and makeup throughout), while still remaining human in their desperate attempts to comfort their newborn. As Baby's cries intensify, his mouth grows larger, eventually occupying an entire spread. Families with colicky younger siblings will no doubt recognize this behavior, and look forward to a hopefully quieter future.--Kay Weisman Copyright 2020 Booklist
