Haibu Saves the Circus Animals

by Blake Freeman

Young readers can now discover the exciting story of a young girl in her quest to save the animals in this picture book version of Haibu Lost in New York , a Mom’s Choice Award Winner . Haibu is lost in the Big Apple! As she explores the busy streets of New York to find her way back home, she stumbles over a circus and discovers something not only can she understand animals, she can talk to them too. From the lion and elephant she learns that the circus animals desperately need help, and she may be the only one who can save them. A partner of WildAid, an environmental organization dedicated to protecting wildlife, Haibu teaches children animal conservation and raises awareness about the situations and conditions animals live in the world today.

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2019

Reviews

[Peacegal]

Tired of the free pass animal-using circuses get in children's books, even though many of us are (finally) starting to learn that all is not happiness and smiles under the big top?

This sweet little story introduces a young child who has the gift of communicating with other species, and the connection she makes with a group of sad, lonely exotic animals being kept by a circus. She helps the animals break free from their cages and return to their native lands.

The message is definitely a welcome one in the picture book genre, but this story is extremely choppy and leaps around in time and place. In addition, the book just drops off at the end, leaving one character's fate unknown.

The illustrations are very cute and bring to mind the old "Big Eye" paintings of the 1960s and 70s.

[Andréa]

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher at ALA Annual 2019.