The Circus Ship
Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Inspired by a true event, this madcap rhyming book tells the story of a circus ship, bound for Portland, which runs aground off the coast of Maine. The circus animals on board escape and swim to a nearby island community.  The town eventually welcomes the animals and helps them to hide from the nasty circus master who wants them back.

Biographical Sketch:
Chris Van Dusen was born in Portland, Maine in 1960. As a child, he always enjoyed drawing and especially loved the work of Robert McCloskey and Dr. Seuss. He studied art at University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and worked as an illustrator for children’s magazines such as Nickelodeon, Family Fun and Disney Adventures. His first children’s book was Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee in 2000. Chris Van Dusen currently lives in a small town off the coast of Maine with his wife and children.

Suggested Activities:
1.  Conduct an author/illustrator study. Gather together a collection of Chris VanDusen’s work and compare and contrast the illustrations. Consider that his favorite authors growing up were Dr. Seuss and Robert McCloskey and then see if you can detect influences of their style in his illustrations or writing.

2.  Visit Chris VanDusen’s author site. There is a wonderful biography and interview with him.

3.  Pretend circus animals have gotten loose in your community and make wanted posters for their capture. Use the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Animals of the World information sheets and their Amazing Animals pages to research descriptions and other information about the animals to include on the wanted poster.

4.  Research the natural habitats of the animals featured in the book and decide if they could really survive on a Maine island.

5.  Read Island Boy by Barbara Cooney or One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey and compare the artists’ depictions of Maine island life.

6.  Read companion book Sandy’s Circus and then visit the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus site to create your own circus.

7. Use a map or an online service such as Google Maps to find the areas mentioned in the author’s note.

Companion Books:
Anno, Mitsumasa. Dr. Anno’s Magical Midnight Circus. Weatherhill Inc.,1972.
Cooney, Barbara. Island Boy. Viking Kestrel, 1988.
Ehlert, Lois. Circus. HarperCollins, 1992.
Falconer, Ian. Olivia Saves the Circus. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001.
Johnson, Crockett. Harold’s Circus. Harper & Row, 1959.
McCloskey, Robert. One Morning in Maine. Viking Press, 1962.
Prelutsky, Jack. Circus. Macmillan, 1974.
Seuss, Dr. If I Ran the Circus. Random House, 1956.
Stone, Tanya Lee. Sandy’s Circus. Viking, 2008.

Other Books by Chris Van Dusen:
A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee. Chronicle Books, 2003.
Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee. Chronicle Books, 2000.
If I Built a Car. Dutton Children’s Books, 2005.
Mercy Watson series written by Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick Press 2005-2009.

Websites:
Chris VanDusen’s website: http://www.chrisvandusen.com

Ringling Brothers Create Your Own Show: http://www.ringling.com/CreateCircus.aspx?&parentID=390&assetFolderID=880

Ringling Brothers Educational Fun page with Animals of the World information pages: http://www.ringling.com/TextContent.aspx?id=11756&parentID=390&assetFolderID=416

Ringling Brothers Amazing Animals pages: http://www.ringling.com/TopLanding.aspx?id=11586

Ringling Brothers Fun Zone with activities and coloring pages: http://www.ringling.com/TopLanding.aspx?id=11616