Mr. Cannelloni's Circus

Tuula Pere, Päivi Vuoriaro

Description

Mr. Cannelloni’s circus has been operating for generations—ever since his great-grandfather started it one hundred years ago. But with ticket sales dropping and the circus equipment falling into disrepair, the future of Cannelloni’s Circus looks bleak, especially when a strict special inspector arrives to look things over. 

Luckily Mr. Cannelloni’s wife, Rosita—once a daring tightrope walker—has some new bold stunts in mind. With the help of a snake woman, a strongman, daredevil horsemen, and other circus performers, Rosita launches “Operation Hannibal.” Will her risky rescue plan be enough to save Mr. Cannelloni’s Circus? 

 

Sujets

• Cooperation
• Children's literature
• Diversity
• Picture Book
• Survival
• Circus

Informations

• Publié par: Wickwick Ltd
• Date de parution: 28 novembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789523258853
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

Tuula Pere


Edition


Mr. Cannelloni's Circus


English







Second edition originally published in Finland by Wickwick Ltd in 2018 Finnish “Herra Cannellonin sirkus”, ISBN 978-952-325-384-1 (Print), ISBN 978-952-325-884-6 (ePub) English (US) “Mr. Cannelloni’ Circus”, ISBN 978-952-325-385-8 (Print), ISBN 978-952-325-885-3 (ePub)
Originally published in Finland by Wickwick Ltd in 2010 Finnish “Herra Cannellonin sirkus”, ISBN 978-952-5878-04-2 (Print), ISBN 978-952-5878-35-6 (ePub) English (UK) “The Circus of Mr Cannelloni”, ISBN 978-952-5878-05-9 (Print), ISBN 978-952-5878-37-0 (ePub)
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Wickwick books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact [e-mail].


Mr. Cannelloni's Circus
Story by Tuula Pere Illustrations by Tuula Pere Layout by Peter Stone English translation by Päivi Vuoriaro Edited in English (US) by Susan Korman
Second edition
Copyright © 2018 Wickwick Ltd
Published 2018 by Wickwick Ltd Helsinki, Finland






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Edition


Tuula Pere


Mr. Cannelloni's Circus


English




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Characters
Circus owner and director Ernesto Cannelloni
Dog trainer and wife of Ernesto, Madame Rosita Cannelloni
Strongman Budo von Bismarck
Chef Andrei and Nano, his pet monkey
Daredevil horsemen Kasimir and the Pommer Boys
Snake woman Cleopatra and Luxor, her cat
Trapeze artists, The Flying Cosmonauts
Elvira the elephant and her calf
Leopold the lion
Clowns Victor and Hugo
Special Inspector Maximillian Knapp
Former human cannonball, the midget Valeri
Opera singer Boris Bubka
Assistant Emilio




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Contents
Mr. Cannelloni Wakes to a New Morning
Breakfast at Andrei’s Camp Kitchen
Madame Rosita Does Some Research
The Truth Comes Out
The Scary Future
Operation Hannibal Begins
The Arrival of Maximillian Knapp
Under the Spell of Cleopatra
Elvira Runs to the Rescue
From an Inspector to a Temporary Clown
The Caravan Sets Off
Dawn in the Alps
Boris’s Houseguests
Showtime for One-and-a-Half Basses
Chase through the Night
Full Speed Ahead




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Mr. Cannelloni Wakes to a New Morning
M r. Cannelloni’s circus was on the verge of bankruptcy. Having endured countless rains and hot blazing days, the circus tent’s colors were fading. The tent had gone through hard times just like the owner Mr. Cannelloni himself. But he never complained. This was what he had always wanted to do for a living, just like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather in their times. It was honorable to continue the tradition that his family had started one hundred years ago.
Cannelloni felt proud looking at the beautifully framed pictures hanging on the walls of his wagon. The pictures portrayed generations of Cannellonis—handsome, mustachioed men with determination in their eyes. It seemed as if their eyes followed Cannelloni now as he shaved in front of an oval mirror.
The circus owner dabbed shaving foam on his chin and expertly maneuvered the razor. Once in a while, he wiped off extra foam with the towel that hung from his waist. A moustache like his demanded care and precision.




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C annelloni had had a dark moustache since he was a young man. Now that he was approaching retirement age, it had streaks of gray, which he carefully covered with dark wax. He finished curling the ends of his moustache and splashed some after-shave on his cheeks. Now he was ready to face the new day ahead.
Cannelloni opened the door of his wagon and stepped outside into the sunshine. Had there been more money in the cashbox, it would have been a splendid day. But the fact was, this summer season might be the last for the circus. They’d be lucky if they finished the entire European tour this year. Cannelloni’s gut wrenched at the thought of shut- ting down the circus. Up to this point, they had survived by pinching every penny they had. They had economized on every imaginable thing, but running a circus was expensive.







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T he animals ate tons of food. Elvira the elephant guzzled box loads of vegetables and huge quantities of hay. Leopold the lion had grown old and lost almost all his teeth. They now had to feed him the most tender steaks they could find. And those didn’t come cheap.
The poodles trained by Cannelloni’s wife, Madame Rosita, constantly needed new barrettes, pompons, and brushes, and these were not purchased from bargain stores but from fancy little boutiques.
Poodles are sensitive little creatures who must be treated delicately. And a certain standard has to be maintained for the sake of the show, Madame said whenever Mr. Cannel- loni brought up the issue of saving money.
Of course, Madame Rosita was right, as always. Mr. Cannel- loni found it impossible to argue with her when she looked at him with her rosy lips pursed together. They had been married for thirty-five years, and Cannelloni knew quite well that with certain issues, nothing could change Rosi- ta’s mind. Even as a young girl, she had had an exceptional sense of beauty and art. It was precisely this that had caught the attention of young Cannelloni when he’d first watched her perform—as a graceful tightrope walker high above the crowd.




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A fter their children were born, Mrs. Cannelloni had started teaching acrobatics to new members of the circus, and to poodles. Rosita’s poodles had become famous over the years. Right now she had five magnificent dogs, including Fifi, the pride of the pack with glossy black fur.
Madame Rosita herself was still an impressive sight. Although Rosita, an avid lover of pastries, had gotten a tad round, she was as graceful as ever. Her grandeur was crowned with a high hairdo, which somewhat resembled Fifi’s hairstyle. Every now and then, Rosita would dress her dogs in spangled tinsel jackets and she would slip into a full- length dress of the same fabric herself. In it, she resembled a plump mermaid without a tail.
For the most part, Mrs. Cannelloni let Mr. Cannelloni take care of the daily business of the circus with his loyal crew. Rosita would much rather focus on her grandchildren and her poodles. Besides, she was prone to terrible headaches, which could only be relieved by resting in a dimly lit wagon with the company of a television and a box of chocolates. Even now, Mrs. Cannelloni was resting in her wagon and would continue to do so at least till noon.







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Breakfast at Andrei’s Camp Kitchen
M r. Cannelloni walked through the circus camp. The circus director followed the scent of bacon, which led to the kitchen set up on the outskirts of camp. There, Chef Andrei was serving a hearty breakfast to the circus crew. His real name was Andrzej, but no one could either pronounce or spell it correctly, except for his Polish twin brother, Kazimierz. Everyone called the chef’s twin Kasimir, since that was also much easier to pronounce.
The brothers were both ardent horsemen. Kasimir performed with the Polish horse masters, the Pommer Boys. In their act, riders on black horses and white horses all showed off their dazzling equestrian skills, but it was Kasimir who performed the most daring stunts. Whenever his chef’s duties allowed it, Andrei gladly helped with tending to the horses. He also cooked nutritious food for the riders, and often brought dried-up bread crusts and other treats to the horses.





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T his morning some lightweight tables and chairs had been brought out onto the lawn next to Andrei’s camp kitchen. The crew’s chatter was lively and multilingual. Many of the performers had been with the circus for as long as Mr. Cannelloni. They even spent the winter season together, tending to the equipment and the circus animals. Like migratory birds, other performers joined the group as the summer season began.
Aside from Mr. Cannelloni’s own family and the Pommer Boys, the circus crew included a Russian trapeze troupe called The Flying Cosmonauts; French clowns, Victor and Hugo; an Egyptian s