This second charming installment of the Three-Ring Rascals series, begun with The Show Must Go On, brings back lovable Sir Sidney and his circus performers.
Sir Sydney learns of a special contest being run by the Circus Times newspaper to name the Greatest Star on Earth. But he thinks all of his performers are the greatest, from unlikely best friends Leo the Lion and Elsa the Elephant to the acrobatics of the Famous Flying Banana Brothers, and begins to worry about how this will upset their cheerful and cooperative circus. As he worries, he develops a worrywart, and his doctor prescribes some R&R at a peanut farm in Georgia. This gives Barnabas Brambles a second chance to run the circus, and he says he'll "try" to follow Sir Sydney's kind rules. Secretly, clever mouse siblings Bert and Gert use reverse psychology on Barnabas, as each of the circus acts tries to show that they are truly The Greatest Star. Again silliness and humor reign as this story unfolds. In the end, with Barnabas Brambles's lessons learned, Sir Sydney returns and harmony is restored. The wonderful line drawings, cartoon illustrations and diagrams on every page skillfully tell much of this story. The artist incorporates zany site gags, rhymes, jokes, made-up words, even math concepts.
This popular author-illustrator team (43 Old Cemetery Road series) succeeds again with their cast of quirky and endearing characters. This fun series continues to be spot-on for early chapter book readers. --JoAnn Jonas, children's librarian, freelance reviewer