cover image The Circus and Other Stories

The Circus and Other Stories

Samuil Marshak, trans. from the Russian by Stephen Capus, illus. by Vladimir Lebedev. Tate (Abrams, dist.), $26.95 (76p) ISBN 978-1-84976-102-4

Four books originally published in the mid-1920s by Marshak and Lebedev are gathered in this collector’s edition, which features new English translations. Lebedev’s images merge modern graphic design principles with cubist and constructivist art styles. The title story features a series of acts from “The famed Tsaniboni’s/ Circus: trained ponies,/ Donkeys, bright lights/ And all manner of sights.” Themes of labor and communal goals are apparent in a story in which tools come together to create craft a wooden plane; another tale follows a prosperous man who selfishly consumes all of the ice cream available from hand-carts. In a sequence of pictures, he transforms into a snowman: “And by now the hand which holds/ His wallet is icy cold.” While the primary audience for the collection may be children’s literature scholars and design aficionados, mature young readers may recognize the influence of the artwork on some contemporary favorites. All ages. (May)