• Age: 6 to 9
• Grade: 1 to 4

The weird and wonderful artistry of award-winner Wallace Edwards brings you The Painted Circus, a showstopper of a book where the eye is tricked, bamboozled, hoodwinked and flimflammed ... but finally rewarded when all mysteries are revealed after the grand finale! P.T. Vermin, ringmouse extraordinaire, ushers patrons into the Big Top to behold 22 astonishing stunts, including Norwegian Marching Ducks, the Spectral Sphere and the Flying Fishtastics, each featuring an eye-opening optical illusion. It's all here --- fabulous phenomena, impossible objects, moving patterns, visual distortions and topsy-turvy geometric illusions!

Each page encourages kids to get into the act by solving the visual puzzles in every image --- and they will delight in spinning, flipping, tilting and making funny faces at the book as they do so. Entertainment for the whole family, Wallace Edwards's tour de force is a work of art that will leave readers spellbound by the power of perception and the magic of imagination.

WALLACE EDWARDS, diplômé de l’École d’art et de design de l’Ontario, était un auteur-illustrateur primé. Ses peintures et ses illustrations se retrouvent dans des collections privées et publiques, des livres, des magazines et des expositions au Canada et aux États-Unis. Il est le créateur de Sur ma route…, Qu’est-ce que la paix?, Tombé du ciel et Alphabeasts. Ce dernier a remporté le Prix littéraire du Gouverneur général en 2002. Depuis, il continue à recevoir des nominations et des récompenses prestigieuses soulignant son approche géniale des albums illustrés. Il est malheureusement décédé en 2022.

WALLACE EDWARDS was a beloved children’s book writer and illustrator, known for his richly imaginative paintings, and the sense of wonder and humour in his work. His picture books were nominated for three Governor General’s Literary Awards; he won the award for Alphabeasts. Other honours include the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award, two Independent Publisher Book Awards, a CLA Honour Book and two OLA Best Bets, among many others; and his work is on the International Youth Library White Ravens list. Edwards completed work on his final picture book, Pigs Can’t Fly, before his sad passing in December 2022.

Wallace Edwards' profile page

• Short-listed, Childrens' Choices, International Reading Association
• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award
• Short-listed, Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award
• Short-listed, Book of the Year, ForeWord Magazine
• Commended, Governor General's Literary Award, children's illustration, Canada Council for the Arts

A great introduction to the world of art ...

Toronto Star

Enhanced by a surprise or two in the page comers, this offers plenty of potential for enjoyable browsing.

Kirkus Reviews

The Painted Circus: P.T. Vermin Presents a Mesmerizing Menagerie of Trickery and Illusion Guaranteed to Beguile and Bamboozle the Beholder