Sidewalk Circus

Paul Fleischman is the award-winning author of many books for children and young adults, including JOYFUL NOISE: POEMS FOR TWO VOICES, winner of the Newbery Medal; WESLANDIA, a SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year and an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book; and THE ANIMAL HEDGE, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. "It came out of the blue," Paul Fleischman says of SIDEWALK CIRCUS. "A vision of a ringmaster standing on a city street, describing the sun rising and the clouds changing color as if they were circus acts. Eventually, I decided to leave him out of the story. And then I decided to leave the words out as well."Kevin Hawkes is the illustrator of a number of popular books for children, including WESLANDIA and HANDEL, WHO KNEW WHAT HE LIKED, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book and recipient of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award. He says, "As I worked on SIDEWALK CIRCUS, I spent a lot of time in Portland, Maine. I was amazed by all the things going on in the city, and all the people and things I had never really noticed before. I am grateful to Paul Fleischman for opening my eyes."