What do you think?
Rate this book
The Acrobat
This is the story of an acrobat who leaves the circus in search of a new audience. He tries with all his best tricks to attract the attention of passers by, but no one is interested. Just when he's about to give up all hope, something extraordinary happens to change his luck. Written and illustrated by a fresh new talent, this gentle and humorous story will appeal to everyone who loves a clown.
32 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 2, 2018
Wonderful book about change and how to change with it!
October 6, 2019
I really liked the book and it is definitely aimed at the younger children. The illustrations are fantastic and the children can engage with the story through just looking at the pictures. There are few words as the story is told mainly through the illustrations. The wording is very repetitive which is great for getting them involved with the book!
October 23, 2019
I originally thought the message would be about never giving up, after having read the first few pages, where the acrobat completes his tricks but nobody notices. However, he then gives up and starts feeding some birds and gains attention from being covered in birds... Perhaps the message of the book is about change and how things happen for a reason. If he had not had been disheartened by the circus, he may not have found his 'true calling'. However, a little bit of a strange read.
June 4, 2014
The illustrations are what I love most about this book.
I think there is a message in here somewhere, but I wasn't quite picking up on it. The acrobat isn't getting noticed, which in itself is problematic - suggesting that one cannot be content without the affirmation of others - so he decides to leave the circus in hope of finally being noticed. Unfortunately, he's still being ignored in his new environment so he decides to quit. (GREAT, JUST GIVE UP ON WHAT YOU LOVE, MR. ACROBAT) After giving up, he realizes that he is a bird magnet and that he's starting to get noticed as more and more birds flock to him. At the end of his "show", drunk off of applause, the Acrobat decides to do it all over again the following day. He is a human bird perch....that is how he comes noticeable. Yup.
Perhaps the messages is that the path to happiness is not always direct? Or maybe it's that acrobat unitards are stellar chick magnets? I don't know.
I didn't hate the book but I didn't love it either.
I think there is a message in here somewhere, but I wasn't quite picking up on it. The acrobat isn't getting noticed, which in itself is problematic - suggesting that one cannot be content without the affirmation of others - so he decides to leave the circus in hope of finally being noticed. Unfortunately, he's still being ignored in his new environment so he decides to quit. (GREAT, JUST GIVE UP ON WHAT YOU LOVE, MR. ACROBAT) After giving up, he realizes that he is a bird magnet and that he's starting to get noticed as more and more birds flock to him. At the end of his "show", drunk off of applause, the Acrobat decides to do it all over again the following day. He is a human bird perch....that is how he comes noticeable. Yup.
Perhaps the messages is that the path to happiness is not always direct? Or maybe it's that acrobat unitards are stellar chick magnets? I don't know.
I didn't hate the book but I didn't love it either.
May 4, 2015
The illustrations are fun, colorful, unique, and lovely. It made up for what it lacked in text. The story felt slight with its abrupt and unexpected ending, but its quiet humor and quirkiness added charm. Actually, the more I read it, the more I enjoyed it. It is visually pleasing!
March 26, 2014
cheery bright pictures. repetitive text that kids could read along with. surprising ending. We love this book!
March 29, 2014
Keep trying and you will find your success. What a fun, but not preachy way to get that message across.
March 31, 2015
Loved the colorful pages.
July 26, 2015
A grand adventure, especially for the class clown. Unless, of course, the class clown is afraid of birds.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2015
This book is a wonderfully, weird, delightful, quirky and charming book. The story is simple and memorable, and the vivid illustrations seem to jump off of the page.
March 10, 2016
I, personally, love the illustrations, so it gets an extra star. ;)
December 1, 2018
ATA-Storytime-Kit-Funny-Humor or Silly
This is the story of an acrobat who leaves the circus in search of a new audience. He tries with all his best tricks to attract the attention of passers by, but no one is interested. Just when he's about to give up all hope, something extraordinary happens to change his luck. This gentle and humorous story will appeal to everyone children and those who are young at heart.
This is the story of an acrobat who leaves the circus in search of a new audience. He tries with all his best tricks to attract the attention of passers by, but no one is interested. Just when he's about to give up all hope, something extraordinary happens to change his luck. This gentle and humorous story will appeal to everyone children and those who are young at heart.
November 2, 2018
I thought the illustrations of this book were good. There was a slight message within the text about change but it was brief and the rest I was pretty clueless as to the message being portrayed to the reader.
November 28, 2018
A great story that encourages children to never give up and to keep trying because eventually, this perseverance does pay off - it just requires a little patience.
A very important message to share with children that has been made accessible through this book.
A very important message to share with children that has been made accessible through this book.
August 31, 2021
The poor acrobat is overshadowed by the talent in the circus, so he leaves.
He starts performing in a park, but there he's overshadowed by all the things to do and play with.
He feeds the birds and is covered in them. THAT attracts attention, especially when he stands up and they all fly away.
He starts performing in a park, but there he's overshadowed by all the things to do and play with.
He feeds the birds and is covered in them. THAT attracts attention, especially when he stands up and they all fly away.
November 8, 2018
This book although illustrated beautifully did not have any message or reason for the text. It was not really a story line to follow or get excited about.
October 14, 2020
A good book which looks at how to change who you want to be. Very simple.
October 13, 2025
Cute little read.
January 3, 2017
Story: 2 stars
Illustrations: 3 stars
An acrobat tries repeatedly to get noticed, but does not succeed until he enlists the help of some birds. Not sure about the treatment of the birds; they are very fragile creatures. Also not sure what message this picture book conveys. It's important to get noticed whatever you have to do to achieve that? Or it's okay to use animals for your own benefit? I'm not a militant animal rights activist, but I do love animals, and I don't find this book humorous.
Illustrations: 3 stars
An acrobat tries repeatedly to get noticed, but does not succeed until he enlists the help of some birds. Not sure about the treatment of the birds; they are very fragile creatures. Also not sure what message this picture book conveys. It's important to get noticed whatever you have to do to achieve that? Or it's okay to use animals for your own benefit? I'm not a militant animal rights activist, but I do love animals, and I don't find this book humorous.
August 7, 2016
While on a hunt for circus books, I couldn't pass this one up. The acrobat feels ignored with all the amazing talent around him, so he goes off to find his spotlight. It was a cute enough story about going after what you want and it had a very sympathetic tone, but there wasn't necessarily a major moment that made me go, "my new favorite thing!" It will probably be very exciting during our circus reading of it. We shall see. I also wasn't super won over with the overall tone of the book, but that's me.
For: readers wanting circus books.
Possible red flags: instances of humor based on injury; the message that you must change yourself to be accepted.
For: readers wanting circus books.
Possible red flags: instances of humor based on injury; the message that you must change yourself to be accepted.
August 3, 2016
The acrobat doesn't think he is noticed at the circus so he leaves to head to the park where he knows he will stand out. Problem is that he is invisible there with others focused on what they went to the park for. Flustered, he feeds the birds. Then, he becomes noticed.
Cute, funny read. Very colorful! I loved the facial expressions of the acrobat. It was the little things that made this book remarkable.
Cute, funny read. Very colorful! I loved the facial expressions of the acrobat. It was the little things that made this book remarkable.
Read
February 6, 2015I enjoyed reading this picture book. I would use it as a read aloud for my students. I would use activities that involve a circus and it would be a lot of fun to invite someone in who could juggle or perform as in a circus. I would want the students to be happy that the Acrobat found his joy at last in his life. I would used this book for grades k-2.
August 14, 2014
3 1/2 stars because the illustrations are fantastic. wish the story line was a little more interesting, still will share with the kids.
August 14, 2014
cute illustrations.
September 1, 2014
great illustrations, but a weak story line. I was not sure what message the writer/illustrator was trying to convey.
February 19, 2015
I probably liked this better than the kids did, and I didn't like it THAT much. Cute, though!
March 13, 2015
The illustrations for this are pretty.
February 11, 2019
Huh. I loved the illustrations. The use of white space and bright colors really brought the characters to life. The resolution, however, left me completely unsatisfied.
October 23, 2015
Makes me think of the Rolling Stones song, "You don't always get what you want." This story is okay but not great.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews