Sawdust and Spangles
You’ve no doubt heard of Barnum and Bailey, but have you heard of Coup?
The circus came to town and it was quite fortuitous that the day I bought tickets, we received the book Sawdust and Spangles.
I realized I was becoming more and more animated in my story-telling as I read it to my daughter. It wasn’t just because it was the first time I had read it (as opposed to the 425 times I’ve read each and every other book we own). It is truly an amazing story of the big dreams of one man, W. C. Coup.
We follow young Coup who runs off with the circus. As he becomes bigger, so do his dreams. First a circus, the first circus to travel by train, the Great Roman Hippodrome, and the New York Aquarium.
Not only is the story enthralling (I wanted to know what he would think of next), but the illustrations are wonderful. There is a dog-faced boy, bearded lady, and even a whale in the hull of a ship!
And you’re never going to believe who one of the authors is! None other than our favorite rocker, Ralph Covert of Ralph’s World fame. I have to say that I would have loved the book even if it wasn’t written by him. And if you own any of the Ralph’s World CD’s you will recognize the style of artwork.
Did I mention this is a true story
From the publisher:
Grammy-nominated children’s musician Ralph Covert and award-winning playwright G. Riley Mills have crafted a remarkable slice of Americana, illustrated by celebrated artist Giselle Potter. Complete with tightrope-walking elephants, bearded ladies, and side-splitting clowns, Sawdust and Spangles tells the real story of a man who made all his dreams come true and whose life was as extraordinary as the spectacle he created.
Purchase Sawdust and Spangles on Amazon.com or from your favorite local bookstore.
