Pezzo the Peddler and the Circus Elephant

Pezzo the Peddler and the Circus ElephantEsphyr Slobodkina
Abelard-Schuman, 1967

I realize this is my second post in a row that includes an elephant and a circus, but that is purely by chance. No subliminal theme here. :) A follow-up to the famous Caps for Sale, I actually like this story better than the first. The cap peddler finds himself transformed into a circus act after a parade mishap involving an elephant and a herd of acrobats. The illustrations of the circus folk and animals are whimsical and have a really cool flow. My son goes ape for the little poodle in the French sailor's costume and loves the tumbling girls with their legs twisted in every direction.

Naturally when Jumbo saw the peddler with his pile of caps,
he reached for it with his long trunk.
In a second, there was a surprised elephant,
a very amused crowd, and a very, very sad peddler.
For all the red caps, blue caps, brown caps and gray caps
came flying down in every direction.

This book is currently republished under the title Circus Caps for Sale, and I would definitely recommend picking up a copy -- even over its predecessor. Not only does the peddler sell all his caps in the end, but also, he doesn't have those damn monkeys to contend with! (The always sort of creeped me out anyway.)

Also by:
The Wonderful Feast
Caps for Sale
Little Dog Lost, Little Dog Found