The Circus and Other Stories
What’s inside...
In 1920s Soviet Russia, writer and poet Samuil Marshak and graphic artist Vladimir Lebedev collaborated to infuse the energy and boldness of Russian avant-garde art into children's publishing. Their partnership resulted in a series of stunning picture books that are modern and graphically striking. The four books, 'The Circus', 'Ice Cream', 'How the Plane Made a Plane', and 'Yesterday and Today', are a wonderful celebration of modern life, featuring joyful rhymes and brightly colored geometric shapes in their illustrations. These books continue to energize and inspire readers decades after their creation and are now collected and reproduced in full, newly translated, in one volume for the first time.
Discussion points
What did you like most about the circus in the story, and why?
How did the characters in the different stories help each other, and what can we learn from them?
If you could be friends with one of the characters, who would it be and what would you do together?
What do you think was the most important lesson from these stories?
How would you feel if a similar circus came to our town and why?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to describe their favorite part of the book in detail, fostering a deeper connection with the story.
Discuss the moral lessons in the stories. Highlight how kindness and teamwork are portrayed through the characters' actions.
Compare the circus in the book with real-life circuses or other performances your child has seen, sparking a conversation on similarities and differences.
Ask your child to imagine and narrate an additional scene or ending to one of the stories, encouraging creative thinking.
Focus on the emotions within the stories by asking how different scenarios made them feel, helping your child articulate and manage their own emotions.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Importance of Teamwork
Explanation: The stories in 'The Circus and Other Stories' show characters working together to solve problems and organize performances.
Real-World Application: Children learn to cooperate with others, enhancing their ability to work in groups at school or during play.
Example Lesson: Creativity and Imagination
Explanation: The book encourages children to use their imagination extensively, as the characters invent entertaining circus acts.
Real-World Application: This promotes creative thinking skills, useful in creative projects and problem-solving tasks in real-life scenarios.
Example Lesson: Responsibility
Explanation: Characters in the book often take on tasks that require them to manage different aspects of the circus, exhibiting responsibility.
Real-World Application: It teaches children the importance of being responsible in everyday tasks, be it chores at home or duties in the classroom.
Example Lesson: Resilience in the Face of Challenges
Explanation: Throughout the book, characters encounter and overcome various challenges, demonstrating resilience.
Real-World Application: Children learn to persevere through difficulties they encounter in their own lives, be it in learning new skills or in relationships with peers.
Example Lesson: Joy of Reading
Explanation: The exhilarating tales and dynamic characters in 'The Circus and Other Stories' captivate the readers, highlighting the joy of reading.
Real-World Application: Children will be encouraged to explore more books and grow a lifelong love for reading, which is essential for their ongoing education and personal development.