Danielle Williams (Children's Literature)
When the circus comes to town, all of the children except Tim are excited. Tim is a small boy who keeps to himself and never plays with the others after school, but goes straight home every day. When Circus Girl joins Tim's class, everyone is very excited, except Tim. Circus Girl is happy to share her life in the circus and takes kids back stage to see the rehearsals at the circus. But when Circus Girl realizes that people are not very nice to Tim, her behavior teaches a lesson in tolerance. With Circus Girl's help, aboy at school realizes that Tim has an interesting hobby and is a lot of fun to play with. When Circus Girl goes on to the next town, the two boys know that if it had not been for Circus Girl, they would never have become such good friends. 2001, Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, $17.00. Ages 5 to 9.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 18))
Bogacki's simple, visual reminiscence about the beginnings of a boyhood friendship is, like his earlier picture-book memoir "My First Garden "(2000), nuanced and subtle. The first-person narrator recalls a marvelous week from childhood: a circus caravan comes to his small town, bringing a temporary classmate, the young acrobat that he remembers only as Circus Girl. The Circus Girl befriends both the narrator and Tim, "the smallest one in the class," whose isolation from his classmates has been the one thing that anyone knew about him. Circus Girl's impressive ability to balance while standing on an elephant and on a pony matches the seemingly easy grace with which she makes friends for herself and in the process creates friendship between the two boys. Expressive, gently hued drawings in what could be pastel and colored pencil recreate the moments in the narrative in irregularly shaped frames across each two-page opening. The frames, in soft focus as if remembered across time and distance, fill the space, each an impressionistic glimpse through a window of memory. Young readers will need a measure of patience to mine the depths of this quiet tale, but multiple readings will turn up new observations. Some will find it frustrating that the eponymous character remains nameless in the narrator's retelling-she serves only as the catalyst for the friendship between the narrator and Tim. Still, her brief sojourn in the boys' lives has a lasting effect. Understated and touching. 2001, Frances Foster/Farrar Straus & Giroux, $17.00. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 8. © 2001 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2002)
When the traveling circus comes to town, a new girl joins the class for the week. Circus Girl, as she’s known, brings a shy boy out of his shell and helps the narrator appreciate this classmate he’d previously ignored. The multiple panels of illustrations capture a surprising amount of the action, and the childlike perspective and first-person narrative lend the book familiarity and warmth. Category: Picture Books. 2001, Farrar/Foster, 32pp, $17.00. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.