19th April World Circus Day

World Circus Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in April. The date for 2025 is April 19th. It's an international day to celebrate the circus arts and raise awareness for circus performers. 

The word "circus" is derived from the Latin word for circle, and traditionally circuses have been performed in a 'ring'. The circular tent or 'big top' has been used by circuses since the 19th century.

Circuses do not seem to be as popular with children now as they were when I started teaching. They have changed over time so as to not include as many animals and now have more trapeze acts.

Picture books about circuses are not as common as they once were either. In our library any book that is set in a circus tends to be a book in a well-known series of books. See:

       

 

19th May Circus Day

Some sites say 19th May, others, the third Saturday in April. No matter, today is my son's birthday and there was so much coming and going together with hilarity and noise that the house felt like a circus tent and I thought of circuses and went to see if such a day existed and amazingly it could be celebrated today. Very fitting I think!

Next I thought of books and was surprised that only two sprang readily to mind, Peter Spier's classic, Circus! and Lois Ehlert's geometric Circus. Then searching the library catalogue I learned that nearly all the other circus titles belonged to well-known series. There is a circus book for Spot, Clifford, Paddington, Olivia, Curious George, Miss Bindergarten, Cam Jansen, Harold (of Purple Crayon fame), Alison Lester's Bonnie and Sam, Nutmeg and Tumtum and even Spy Pups. And Dr Seuss even has If I Ran the Circus. Does this mean that the circus is something children like to read about and have experienced?

And the only new book I could find in the library was 10 Little Circus Mice by Caroline Stills and Judith Rossell. I guess if you are looking for something that makes you think more deeply about circuses and their role read Oregon's Journey by Rascal and Louis Joos. I find that this story of a bear and a clown who escape from the routine of the circus never fails to get my Year 2 students talking and asking questions. It is perfect for an Aidan Chamber's Booktalk and it works on so many levels, depending on the age of the students.