The Circus of Mystery

Sophisticated artwork from a European team is the hallmark of this opaque story of a boy who finds a red clown's nose that literally brings color to his life. The illustrations begin in black and white, as Augustus, seated against a chain-link fence at the back of a crowd, spots the spherical nose (placed next to a hole in the fence, an obvious symbol of escape) and puts it on. Instantly, everything around him brightens and he no longer feels ""out of place."" Soon, he joins forces with a host of kindred spirits--easy to identify because they, too, are in full color--to form a circus, and the tale ends with their first performance. If the strand of prose that links the images is a bit tenuous, the illustrations themselves are vigorously surreal. Eye-catching contrasts include the obvious black-and-white versus full-color motif (when characters face away from readers, they largely appear in b&w, when facing readers they appear in color), and the drab, angular facades of gray buildings serve as a striking visual foil to the brightly patterned garb of circus and street performers. Whimsical details permeate the artwork: a sculpted dish of ice cream atop a stone pillar; a cow seated on a bench with a chicken perched on its head; a small ginger cat that serves as a recurring motif. Much goes unexplained (including the time period--old-fashioned top hats appear alongside punk hairdos and cell phones) and the resulting intrigue is part of the book's attraction. However, the overall concept is likely too obscure for the book's intended audience. Ages 5-8. (Nov.)