Tree-Ring Circus

by Adam Rex

In a quiet little lea, several miles out of town, a tree grows. It becomes home to sparrows, chipmunks, a whopping big bee . . . a runaway clown? Two poodles? An ape? Wait a minute. . . .
In his quirky but realistic style, Rex creates the greatest show on earth--or at least, in a tree. The surprising text is part word game, part counting game, and part mystery. The illustrations are pure, beautiful mayhem, loaded with boisterous energy and cunning little critters that readers will love to chase through the pages.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Poetry, Humor, Storytime, 1st Grade

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

Adam Rex grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, the middle of three children. He was neither the smart one (older brother) or the cute one (younger sister), but he was the one who could draw. He took a lot of art classes as a kid, trying to learn to draw better, and started painting when he was 11. And later in life he was drawn down to Tucson in order to hone his skills, get a BFA from the University of Arizona, and meet his physicist wife Marie (who is both the smart and cute one).

Adam is nearsighted, bad at all sports, learning to play the theremin, and usually in need of a shave. He can carry a tune, if you don't mind the tune getting dropped and stepped on occasionally. He never remembers anyone's name until he's heard it at least three times. He likes animals, spacemen, Mexican food, Ethiopian food, monsters, puppets, comic books, 19th century art, skeletons, bugs, and robots.

Garlic and crosses are useless against Adam. Sunlight has been shown to be at least moderately effective. A silver bullet does the trick. Pretty much any bullet, really.

Reviews

[eRin]

A fast growing tree three miles out of town attracts all kinds of animals. There's 3 chipmunks, 2 sparrows and a whopping big bee. A chicken, 2 blue jays, a clown. Five mice and raven. And it goes on and on. The circus shows up looking for its clown, but two mischief-making apes let all of the animals out and the circus men run away. But what will happen when the elephant tries to get in the already crowded tree?

I'm a little conflicted on this. I loved, loved the illustrations (well, except for the sort of scary clown and the circus men straight out of any circus nightmare). And I always love any circus story. It's a good book to read aloud, but I agree with the reviewer who stated that the book is not good for children learning to read because of the different sized fonts and words. Plus, the ending is abrupt and doesn't really feel like an end. Did love those illustrations, though.

[Joel]

Adam Rex's art is as unique, detailed, and enjoyable as always. It's a very simple story, but cute, with a fun rhyme and my two year old loved looking for each animal in the tree. The addition of the escaped clown was funny.

[Kaethe]

This is part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf. The Reviewers seemed to run correctly last week, but that was just one list. According to whatever stat is used on the profile page, I have read 8,149 books which should put me at #7 on US Readers of all time. the current #7 has 8,099. I get not wanting to be obvious about what it is they're actually counting, because of course people will game the system. People already are, in fact. But however they arrive at that number, it seems like I would make the top 100 of all time, right?

This is perfect, especially the note on the copyright page, because cats, am I right?

***

1 December 2006

Rex cracks us up. I love this crazy circus, as do the Offspring.

Library copy

[Krysten]

Summary: A seed grows into a tree three miles out of town and animals slowly climb up to live in it. A traveling circus stops by and the animals escape to get in the tree until the elephant climbs to the top and crushes it. Then the animals get up off the ground where the tree fell down, three miles out of town.
Evaluation: This book is all about the illustration. The words are even illustrated to look like circus titles and headlines and they make the book comical and jovial. There are lots of colors and a ton of detail, with the numerous animals that are in the tree, and it makes the book very like a visual circus. I loved it.

[Matthew]

I'm coming to this book late since it's his first, but it reminds me of a couple other books of his where things gradually escalate to out of hand with humorous consequences. I also feel like it's worthwhile to compare it with Oliver Jeffers' Stuck. In all, I'm a big fan. Good book.

[Lynn Davidson]

This is a very busy book! There's lots going on in the tree located three miles outside town. Fun story.

[Jennifer]

The illustrations are a little messy and crowded, but the rhythmic text is nice and there's lots of repetition to keep a read-aloud audience interested.

[Kest Schwartzman]

This book had me from it's pseudo-circus poster with a booking by "reinforced binding".

Charming story, delightfully illustrated.

[skcocnaH]

I would’ve liked this book if not for the clown. The picture on the last page was legit something from my nightmares. Why did it have to be a clown?

[zunggg]

Comical and classy in text and art. There aren't many kids' books I'd pay $20 for, but this is one. Superb entertainment, bravo!

[Villain E]

A tree attracts various animals and a runaway clown. A silly, busy book.

[Kiah]

Absolute banger and beautifully drawn

[Becca]

Read for Circus Storytime - May 30, 2017 - they really liked this one

[Allie]

I have read Adam Rex before (chapter book) but had no clue what a talented illustrator he is! This is his very first book and it is lovely.

[Kelly Anderson]

Creepy and fun. My daughter was not a fan of the clown, but belly laughed at the whopping big bee.

[Readersaurus]

So, I have a confession to make: I really hate books with lots of repetition (like the House That Jack Built). Especially when I have to read them aloud. I know you're supposed to encourage the kids to catch on to the repeated phrases and chant along, but I just never enjoyed that bit. When I'm alone, I just skip the repeated lines and try to get ahead to whatever's supposed to be happening in the story. So, when I started to read Tree Ring Circus I thought, 'Oh no. Is this going to be an Adam Rex book I'm going to have to decide I hate?'

Phew! This book is great! The rhymes work, the illustrations are whacked, some line repeat and some don't, making reading this aloud (or silently) much more interesting. The kids can get in on the act when asked "Drumroll, please." The artistic style completely evokes a circus and it ends with a predictable (yet satisfying) bang!

[Christina]

3.5 - Publishers Weekly did a feature not long ago on best children's books, and I decided to check out a few. I know very little about children's book publishing, but I like to learn about new genres. It seems to me that some books are driven by story or character, and others by the illustrations, and the real break-outs have both. This book seems to fall into the illustration category. The story is a bit silly--animals gather in a tree for no apparent reason. I love the style of the illustrations, however, and this seems to be one of those books where you stop and let the child try to find certain things in the picture ("Can you find the five mice?") Good for interaction, but I wonder if young children have that kind of patience, or are more about turning to the next page and next.

[Victoria M. Sanchez]

It's sort of cheating, counting a picture book twice, but I've read this three times this year (2022) already and it's only May. This book was pub'd in 2006. So only counting it twice, when I've read and re-read it AT LEAST 50 times, is fair. And yes, we think it's that good.
Why?
The rhymes are fantastic.
The rhythm's fantastic.
The absurdity of the illustrations match the text so perfectly that they're...fantastic.
And the GD pacing? The page turns?
F A N T A S T I C.
I love this book and always will.

[Tricia]

My 11yo son and I both really enjoyed the rich illustrations in this book, but my 6yo son pronounced it "boring." The description pegs it as part counting game, and perhaps some we could have played that up somewhat while reading, but that angle probably appeals more to younger children (e.g. preschoolers). I do like how some of the characters are also seen in Pssst!

[Jonathan]

The fantastic oil and mixed media illustrations in this book help rescue the faltering rhythm of the text. Younger children will likely find the imagery humorous and fun, plus there is an opportunity to practice counting exercises as animals are added to the tree. There's not much meat to the story however, and older children may lose interest quickly. That being said, this would be an excellent book to introduce mixed media artwork at home or in the classroom.

[Anthony]

This more than just a story of a tree. It is also the story of “3 Chipmunks, 2 Sparrows, and a Whopping Big Bee”… to start with. Adam Rex's story is simple – A tree grows, a lot of things sit in it until… I won’t ruin it for you. Needless to say the story is just okay, but the illustrations are odd and whimsical and I loved them. I absolutely love his artwork.

[Iamaby En]

This is a good counting book for storytime, with good illustrations and lots of animals that kids love. Since the illustrations are a little too "busy" at times, it might be less appropriate for toddlers, but keeping their attention on counting the animals might be the glue that holds their attention.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship]

This was Adam Rex's very first book. It has a lot going for it to entice young readers, it's funny, it rhymes, there is counting, and the illustrations are lush and colorful. My favorite part of this book is actually the title page, I love his subtle humor and how he makes each of his books unique.

[Nancy Kotkin]

Same premise as Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, but the execution of this picture book (which was published earlier) is superior. While whimsical, both the rolling text and the quirky but masterful illustrations flow logically and reach a satisfactory conclusion. Young children can also practice their counting and search-and-find skills.

[Deana]

Rex's lettering and illustrations are playful and childlike but I can't imagine that this particular book would be easy for a child to follow especially since the text shifts in size and direction so frequently. I loved this book as an adult but wouldn't recommend it to children learning to read.

[Leah]

Simple story about circus animals (and others too!) in a tree. Children can count along up to 33 and help remember the animals already up in the tree. Might work as a felt story, but the illustrations in the original are quite nice, especially the circus-like typography.

[Erin]

If you're going to read this aloud, make sure you prep first. The layout and design of the text is not easy to scan, although it fits with the story and illustrations. Whimsical and silly, this might be a good fit for kids who like to seek-and-find or count.

[Meg]

Beautiful illustrations, Philly-based artist, Beautiful typography, cute story.

[kelly]

Love the illustrations, & artistic style.
The story is pleasantly rhymey, but a bit simple. Moral of the story: As strong and sturdy as a tree may seem, it cannot support an entire circus team.

[Becky]

fabulous kid book