The Acrobat

Ignored at the circus, an acrobat strikes out on his own in this stylish and amusing story. “Nobody ever noticed him,” writes U.K.-based author/illustrator Alborozo as his hero stands glumly atop a stack of chairs, balancing a vase and a ball on two sticks. “They watched the astounding Adele. And Hercule the weightlifter. And Marguerite the Magnificent.” After the acrobat sets up shop in a public park, nothing changes: the many children seen flying kites, frolicking in a fountain, and enjoying ice pops take no notice of his tumbling and balancing acts. Alborozo’s illustrations are plenty attention-getting in their own right; he drafts in swoopy, expressive black lines, accenting his characters with punches of red, blue, yellow, and green (acrobatics aside, it’s almost hard to believe people don’t notice the hero for his lurid red-with-blue-diamonds jumpsuit alone). Eventually and accidentally, the acrobat hits on a show-stopping trick (it involves dozens of brightly colored and very cooperative birds), lightly suggesting that fame can’t be forced—sometimes one simply has to let these things happen. Ages 3–7. Agent: the Bright Group. (Apr.)