THE CIRCUS ALPHABET

Bronson earns high marks for dazzling visuals in her solo debut, even if the rhymed captions don’t always measure up. Inviting viewers under the Big Top, she offers a succession of stylized circus performers bent into paired letters: a leaping Clown frames posed Dogs; a joey leans out from its mother’s pouch to form a “K” next to two (striped?!?) Lions; a glittering Ringmaster places one foot forward and bends into an elegant bow to create his letter. Too many of the accompanying lines are just filler: “O is for outrageous, a true work of art. / P is for performer, just doing her part.” But, crafted from modeling clay, paint, and inventively used craft items, and topped by Picasso-esque double faces, her long, skinny figures gesture and posture in grand style. The bright colors and eccentric forms command attention, and if children skip the text, they won’t miss much. (Picture book. 6-8)