Circus Books for Kids

We love heading off to the library and filling up our bag with a bunch of new (to us) books.  Many times we go with a theme when we grab up our books.  Lots of times, we don’t too and just grab whatever we see from the shelves.  With summer upon us and carnivals (and the circus) coming to many neighborhoods/cities, we thought it would be fun to explore the circus through books.  Even if you don’t get the chance to visit the circus, it’s fun to read about the animals, performers, sights, and more in so many great books.  Some of these we’ve read and others are on our must-read list.  Do you have any favorite circus-themed books?

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Circus Themed Books for Kids

Circus books for a circus theme camp or VBS for kids

If I Ran the Circus by Dr. Seuss is a classic Dr. Seuss book with wacky nonsense words based on a circus of the imagination.

Clifford At The Circus
by Norman Bridwell
We love all of the Clifford books and this circus themed book with our favorite big red dog is no exception!

See the Circus by H.A. Ray
A great Lift-The-Flap book quizzing the reader about things that can be found at the circus.

Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer Olivia the Pig saves the circus when all of the performers were out sick.  A favorite in our house, this is just one Olivia book that we love!

Circus by
Lois Ehlert This is one of those library books that we check out over and over again!  We love the bold colors of this circus book and eye-catching illustrations of our favorite circus feats!

You See a Circus, I See… by
Mike Downs Enjoy the circus through the eyes of a little boy whose family runs the circus!

Miss Bindergarten Plans a Circus With Kindergarten by Joseph Slate The Miss Bindergarten books are so much fun to read and this circus themed book is no exception!

Harold’s Circus by
Crockett Johnson Harold explores the circus and sparks the imagination.

Curious George Circus Act by
H.A. Ray George is back to his curious antics as he visits the circus and learns to walk the tightrope.

Paddington Bear at the Circus by
Michael Bond                   

The books we love:


You may also be interested in our Pinterest board dedicated to Books for Kids.  We love a great children’s books and a craft or activity to go along with it.  Check out this pin board for lots of inspiration:
hands-on activities to explore social emotional development through children's books.

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