Cirque du Soleil

Publishers Weekly

In this stagy catalogue, the Cirque du Soleil's acrobats and musicians pose in full regalia, looking like revelers plucked from the streets of Carnivale. Robertson, in her writing debut, focuses on the personas and color-coordinated outfits of "Mr. Red Pierrot!/ He's upside down!/ An acrobat (and not a clown)" and "Ooh-la-la Monsieur Fleur!/ So florally fabulous (full of allure...)." Red Pierrot leans on his shoulder in a diagonal headstand, attired in a scarlet skull cap and orange robes, while the smirking Monsieur Fleur gets a close-up, wearing a top hat and beaded vest. Robertson also introduces groups like the Water Nymphs, who stand on each other's shoulders to form a tower ("A perfect balance!/ Green on Green!"), and the leaping Baroques, in sans-culottes garb with frizzy wigs ("Red hot! And popping pink!.../ The Baroques are rash,/ and they love to clash"). In some of the photos, bodies appear to be in motion; as the beret-capped "La Gar onne" skips rope or the Asian-inspired "Yao" waves his patterned flag, their movements are captured in a gauzy blur. More often, the actors freeze in place, allowing for careful inspection of their makeup, glitter and accessories, but not displaying their physical skill and timing. As a colors book, this pictorial parade treats that theme in only the most cursory fashion. Young circus fans may find themselves wondering where the clowns and tightropes are-this book seems to be presuming the audience's familiarity with the Cirque du Soleil, rather than kindling an interest in it. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Photographs of Cirque du Soleil performers in their multihued and sometimes outrageous costumes accompany a rhyming text about these circus artists who have been producing shows around the world since 1984. The Musicians are in white and the Singer wears black while the Zebras are striped and the Baron adds only a bit of red to his costume. However, most of the pictures blaze with showy, almost kaleidoscopic color. Red Pierrot is dressed with orange, as is Le Dandy. And then there is the Bronx. "Oh yes! Here are the Bronx!/A confident crew/Decked out in GOLD/from helmet to shoe!/And though their armor is quite rich/It's scritchy-scratchy/and makes 'em itch!" The Water Nymphs balance in sparkling outfits of green and the Mafioso is "all clad in a feathery Purple-y fuzz." The shows are a combination of circus acts and street performance and this book would probably be more fully enjoyed by those who have attended a production. 2003, La Martinière/Harry N. Abrams, Ages 5 to 9.
— Carolyn Mott Ford

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-Cirque du Soleil is a quintessential theatrical event that's impossible to capture within a book and far too complex to suit the simplicity needed for a concept book about colors. That said, Parade is well worth having to enjoy the incredible attention to detail in the makeup and costumes of the performers. Rich color backs the text of rambling, rhyming poems with a featured color or two, which are present on the page in one or more values but not always the most direct. Swirling, curling edges defined with white dots to simulate theatrical lights effectively separate the images from the text area. Exquisite photos of the performers, adequate rhyme, and a color connection result in a book that will appeal mainly to Cirque fans.-Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

It would be easy to dismiss this as an ad for the darkly whimsical Cirque du Soleil, but it works quite splendidly as a child's garden of color. Robertson takes photographs from three of the circus's performances (Quidam, Dralion, and Varekai) and creates a vibrant rhymed text. Color is her theme: each page has the title of the act pictured, and focuses on a key hue. "They're angels! / Good heavens! / I say, bless their noses! / They're rich, ruby RED / like the fanciest roses!" While there are an awful lot of exclamation points, and some of the vocabulary is a little advanced (Le Dandy, in ORANGE, is upright as "a Roman frieze"), Robertson even does a little color blending, as when Dreamer & Ringmaster, in BLUE and YELLOW, sit on a cape of GREEN. Sophisticated and nicely composed. (Picture book. 4-7)