THE CIRCUS SHIP

This poem-tale, inspired by a real-life incident, will have kids listening intently for the author's rollicking rhymes and fun wordplay and focusing on the plot: What will become of the 15 circus animals whose steamship to Boston is shipwrecked on an isle off the Maine coast? Andrew Watts uses his deep voice to enhance the author's rhyme scheme; lingering lightly over alliteration, he sketches the voices of worried crew members, surprised islanders, and the evil circus master. This fun production concludes with an author's note on the actual event that sparked this story: In 1836 a steamer traveling to Portland, Maine, with an entire circus aboard ran into a gale off the island of Vinalhaven. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]