Jane's family is filled with the extraordinary: a mother that rides horses, a father who lifts elephants with his bare hands, brothers that shoot out of cannons, and sisters that walk tightropes. Yet Jane is just ordinary. Can she find a place in the circus with the rest of her family?
If you're wondering who Jane is, she's the plain little white dog on the cover. She tries to find ways to be extraordinary, but each attempt ends in humorous disaster. The text Harrison has composed is simple and understated, letting the illustrations do more of the telling of the story (and jokes). Harrison makes wonderful use of perspective and negative space throughout. The white backgrounds focus our attention on the illustrations, pacing, and well-placed text. Her paintings are detailed and expressive. And the story is very nice one.
Hannah E. Harrison has won a number of awards for her artwork, and not surprisingly, she specializes in animal subjects. I looked through her online portfolio to find fanciful portraits of animals, often in costume of some sort. She captures so much expression in the eyes and faces. Her style is ideal for children's books, and I look forward to seeing more from her in the future.
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