Big Top Mr Benn

The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. Benn

by David McKee

When Mr Benn visits the little fancy dress shop, he enters a fantastical world of adventure as if by magic... Today, Mr Benn swaps his trademark black bowler hat and suit for a clown costume, and finds himself magically transported to a world full of circus performers, magicians and big top tents.

Celebrate 50 years of the iconic BBC TV series with the original Mr Benn picture books!
Voted 3rd in a BBC poll of 25 to 45 year olds of all-time favourite children's shows
Voted 6th in Channel 4's poll of the 100 greatest kid's TV shows
Voted 10th most famous time-traveller by THE TIMES
'...the very name is enough to induce a warm glow of childish bliss...' TELEGRAPH

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

David McKee was a British writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books and animations. He also used the pseudonym Violet Easton. He is frequently referenced as David (John) McKee. He has been commended for his gentle, playful but insightful stories.

For his contribution as a children's illustrator he was UK nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2006.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love the Mr. Benn series, in particular the more intricate illustrations in items like Gladiator and Big-top Ben. Also of course there is a wonderful moral of team spirit behind this story.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing worth having that this book doesn't have. Imagination, adventure, detail (lots of little things for small hands to find on each page) and physics (how to build a bridge 101). I'm quite keen to fish out other books by the same author at the library.
It's the most lovely story of a man who wants to make people laugh and go on an adventure at the same time. It's the kind of book that will get kids thinking of their own stories - which is the best kind of book you can possibly have.