Tag Archives: circus

PETA Takes on Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has been after Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus lately for its treatment of animals, especially elephants. Last July, the organization released photos of employees striking the elephants with bull hooks. These photos, taken by an elephant trainer while inside the Florida training center for Ringling Bros., also showed baby elephants screaming and struggling as they are taken away from their mothers. PETA director Debbie Leahy said that by releasing the photos, she hoped that people would “stay away from Ringling and all other traveling animal acts that take baby elephants … Continue reading →

Jingle the Christmas Clown – Tomie dePaola

It’s Jingle’s job to ride in the circus wagon with the baby animals. He’s too young to perform with the older clowns, so until they decide he’s ready, he helps take care of the babies. He loves traveling with the circus and listening to the band as they move from town to town across the countryside. Frick, Frack, Smick and Smack, the little monkeys, were particularly frisky that day. Lolly, the baby elephant, was getting tired of traveling. They were almost to the small village where they always performed on Christmas Eve, and soon they would all be able to … Continue reading →

Dr. Seuss Series: If I Ran the Circus

This classic Dr. Seuss tale was first published in 1956. Our hero for this story is Morris McGurk. He has the most wonderful idea. Back behind Sneelock’s Store is a vacant lot, and if he can get all the cans cleaned out of it, it would make a fabulous place for a circus – but not any old circus, no. The Circus McGurkus! There will be acrobats, jugglers and clowns. Morris is really going to go all out to make this the greatest show on earth, or anywhere. He will, of course, have to make about five hundred gallons of … Continue reading →

Dumbo (1941)

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a baby elephant with really big ears! Mrs. Jumbo belongs to the circus, and she is feeling lonely. All the other elephants have had children, and she hasn’t. But one night as the train is wending its way through the dark to the site of the next show, Mr. Stork flies overhead with his delivery. It’s a heavy one, that’s for sure. He pops his head into the elephant car, and sure enough, it’s for Mrs. Jumbo! She unwraps her bundle to find a sweet little guy with big blue eyes and … Continue reading →