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Painted Circus, The: P.T. Vermin Presents a Mesmerizing Menagerie...
The weird and wonderful artistry of award-winner Wallace Edwards brings you The Painted Circus, a showstopper of a book where the eye is tricked, bamboozled, hoodwinked and flimflammed ? but finally rewarded when all mysteries are revealed after the grand finale! P.T. Vermin, ringmouse extraordinaire, ushers patrons into the Big Top to behold 22 astonishing stunts, including Norwegian Marching Ducks, the Spectral Sphere and the Flying Fishtastics, each featuring an eye-opening optical illusion. It's all here -- fabulous phenomena, impossible objects, moving patterns, visual distortions and topsy-turvy geometric illusions! Each page encourages kids to get into the act by solving the visual puzzles in every image -- and they will delight in spinning, flipping, tilting and making funny faces at the book as they do so. Entertainment for the whole family, Wallace Edwards's tour de force is a work of art that will leave readers spellbound by the power of perception and the magic of imagination.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2007
About the author
Wallace Edwards
44 books24 followersWallace Edwards was a Canadian children’s author and illustrator whose imagination transformed the world of animals and strange creatures for a generation of children. His illustrations don’t condescend to children, they engage the imagination on multiple levels, blending childhood whimsy with adult sophistication.
A Canadian illustrator and writer who won the 2002 Governor General's Award for his first children's book Alphabeasts., Edwards was also the recipient of a multitude of awards and short lists, the Gold Medal from ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award, and the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association for Alphabeasts; the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, The Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award, the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association for Monkey Business; the Canadian Library Association’s Honour for Mixed Beasts; and the Junior Library Guild Award for The Cat’s Pajamas.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Edwards was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, and his work can be found in numerous public and private collections. He has also worked widely with Metro Toronto Zoo, the City of Toronto, the B.C. Ministry of the Environment, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and various magazines.
On October 16, 2007, Wallace Edwards was nominated for the Governor General's Award for illustrating The Painted Circus. To date, Edwards has both written and illustrated fifteen published books, of which three have been nominated for this, Canada's most prestigious literary award.
His art has been described as “Curious and witty, sophisticated and highly original in approach…” resulting in work which is “visually pleasing as well as mentally stimulating” (taken from the Canada Council for the Arts web site). His children’s books have been reviewed in the Quill and Quire, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Macleans, the Christian Science Monitor, the National Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, the Washington Post, and the School Library Journal, among others.
Edwards was also a pioneering artist in virtual and augmented reality. In 2013 he was the Canada Council supported Artist-in-Residence at York University's Future Cinema Lab where he first began to create augmented and immersive materials. He has since gone on to create work in virtual and augmented reality exhibited at the international Electronic Literature Organization conferences in Portugal, Canada and Italy.
Edwards lived in Yarker, Ontario, Canada, and died on December 25, 2022, in Kingston, Ontario, at the age of 65.
A Canadian illustrator and writer who won the 2002 Governor General's Award for his first children's book Alphabeasts., Edwards was also the recipient of a multitude of awards and short lists, the Gold Medal from ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award, and the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association for Alphabeasts; the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, The Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award, the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association for Monkey Business; the Canadian Library Association’s Honour for Mixed Beasts; and the Junior Library Guild Award for The Cat’s Pajamas.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Edwards was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, and his work can be found in numerous public and private collections. He has also worked widely with Metro Toronto Zoo, the City of Toronto, the B.C. Ministry of the Environment, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and various magazines.
On October 16, 2007, Wallace Edwards was nominated for the Governor General's Award for illustrating The Painted Circus. To date, Edwards has both written and illustrated fifteen published books, of which three have been nominated for this, Canada's most prestigious literary award.
His art has been described as “Curious and witty, sophisticated and highly original in approach…” resulting in work which is “visually pleasing as well as mentally stimulating” (taken from the Canada Council for the Arts web site). His children’s books have been reviewed in the Quill and Quire, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Macleans, the Christian Science Monitor, the National Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, the Washington Post, and the School Library Journal, among others.
Edwards was also a pioneering artist in virtual and augmented reality. In 2013 he was the Canada Council supported Artist-in-Residence at York University's Future Cinema Lab where he first began to create augmented and immersive materials. He has since gone on to create work in virtual and augmented reality exhibited at the international Electronic Literature Organization conferences in Portugal, Canada and Italy.
Edwards lived in Yarker, Ontario, Canada, and died on December 25, 2022, in Kingston, Ontario, at the age of 65.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 21, 2009
My children are loving this book to death but I'm lukewarm about it. The entire book, every page, is filled with very detailed illustrations and optical illusions. They study it over and over...the language of the story is very interesting and fun. I'm just warning you...if you chose to check it out and share it with your children, just be prepared for the number of times they are going to make you read it and point out the illusions. You have been warned...
October 14, 2020
This book is stunning, full of brilliant & strange images. I could not make many of the visual tricks work. Too bizarre for the young picture book set & completely bamboozleing.
December 31, 2021
Book of curiosities! Reminiscent of books by Graeme Base.
November 6, 2024
If you like optical illusions, "magic eye" puzzles and generally squinting and holding books at funny angles, this is for you. I can't stand that sort of thing myself.
February 8, 2017
My boys love his book - watching their amazement as they find the illusion is so fun!
July 6, 2008
Oh my goodness, this book is so much fun! In many ways it's like a toy book with visual illusions intricately incorporated into the illustrations. Edwards obviously spent a great deal of time completing these illustration (as I'm sure he does with all of his book). Although not all of the illusions are perfect they're all a lot of fun. A fantastic book for readers seven and up.
October 22, 2008
This book is more of a fun read. It does not teach anything profound, but the illustrations are so beautiful and detailed. It is a book full of optical illusions. Some are very hard to find, but luckily there is a cheat sheet in the back to help you find everything. I would say this book would be fun for middle school students who tend to resist picture books
November 19, 2008
Mind boggling puzzles, optical illusions and layer after layer of fascinating detail draws the reader into a visual vortex that rivals any handheld game console -- and not a single moving part!
You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
January 24, 2008
I love, love, love this book! It has really neat tricks-of-the-eye on each page. I've been wanting to do a Tales about the circus, and I think I've found my star book! Youth Dept., check out this book, it will be up on the work counter:)
May 19, 2008
Each page has a different riddle/optical illusion to figure out, some more difficult than others, and some cooler than others, too. Family favorite: making the orange ball appear by spinning the book around : )
August 5, 2015
I predict this book will be incredibly popular in my library, much as the Eye Spy books. This book uses a circus theme to introduce an optical illusion on each page. Kids will have a blast squinting, tilting and watching the book come to life. Lots of illusionary fun.
July 30, 2009
This one gets five stars from me because of how well my children (all ages) liked it. The optical illusions kept them coming back to this book for days.
July 5, 2016
Loved the art. Didn't love the constant explication, but I can see why many would.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews