“Circus Carnivore” written by Mark Svendsen, illustrated by Ben Redlich (2006)
Reviewed in Reading Time (vol. 49, no. 4, November 2005, p.26).
The book follows the imagination of a child who has been sent to their room following a tantrum. She imagines a machine that is inside her head and that is responsible for her tantrum. She must control this machine in order to turn her world from “noise-some to joy-some”.
Post-modern elements evident throughout the book -> how they could engage young readers.
multiple constructions of meaning
- the narrative of the story is complete and unbroken, but the pictures have absurdist elements that are “not related in any way to the narrative” (Svendsen) -> the author admits that this is inspired by the likes of Monty Python and is designed to provide comedic entertainment for the reader (but are unobtrusive enough not to undermine the story)
- pictures are bordered by busy sepia-toned drawings and phrases that are both related and not related to the story or pictures
- the writer employs their own language that allows the reader to construct their own meaning, which can even change the more times that the book is read -> allows the reader to take control of the language and feel a sense of ownership over it
book as an artefact
- the writer addresses the reader and invites them to read the book
-> it entices the reader and almost dares them to read it
- some of the drawings in the margins of the pages are sketches of drawings found on other pages -> this invites the reader to peer into the book-constructing process
Reviewed by Roxanne Ciddor
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