The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum

Author Candace Fleming On Tour
Illustrated by Ray Fenwick
Look inside
Hardcover
$19.99 US
8.19"W x 9.81"H x 0.7"D  
On sale Sep 08, 2009 | 160 Pages | 9780375841972
Grades 6-8
Reading Level: Lexile 980L | Fountas & Pinnell Y
Discover the true story of P.T. Barnum, the man who created the world-famous Barnum & Bailey Circus, as featured in the movie The Greatest Showman!

The award-winning author of The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, Amelia Lost, and Our Eleanor brings us the larger-than-life biography of showman P. T. Barnum. Known far and wide for his jumbo elephants, midgets, and three-ring circuses, here’ s a complete and captivating look at the man behind the Greatest Show on Earth. Readers can visit Barnum’s American Museum; meet Tom Thumb, the miniature man (only 39 inches tall) and his tinier bride (32 inches); experience the thrill Barnum must have felt when, at age 60, he joined the circus; and discover Barnum’s legacy to the 19th century and beyond. Drawing on old circus posters, photographs, etchings, ticket stubs—and with incredible decorative art by Ray Fenwick—this book presents history as it’s never been experienced before—a show-stopping event!
© Scott Fleming
Candace Fleming is the prolific and versatile award-winning author of many books for children and young adults. Her most recent title, The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh, received six starred reviews, was a Kirkus, PW, Booklist, and SLJ Best Book of the Year, and was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as a "fascinating chronicle." Candace's The Family Romanov also received six starred reviews and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Amelia Lost received four starred reviews and won the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction. Her many acclaimed picture books include Giant Squid, a Sibert Honor Book. Visit her on the web at candacefleming.com. View titles by Candace Fleming
Ray Fenwick is an artist, illustrator, and author living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of the graphic novels Hall of Best Knowledge and Mascots. View titles by Ray Fenwick
  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • WINNER
    Chicago Public LibraryÂ’s Best of the Best books
  • WINNER | 2010
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 2010
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • WINNER | 2010
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • WINNER | 2009
    Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books
  • WINNER | 2009
    Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
  • NOMINEE
    New Jersey Garden State Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2011
    Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master List
New York Times Book Review, December 6, 2009: “Lively… an engrossing portrait…honest and fun”

Starred Review, Booklist, June 1, 2009:
“The material is inherently juicy, but credit Fleming’s vivacious prose, bountiful period illustrations, and copious source notes for fashioning a full picture of one of the forbearers of modern celebrity.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2009:
"As revealing as it is entertaining."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2009: "the extensive gallery of period photos, engravings, and advertising bills, are worth the price of admission, and bibliography, source notes, index, and web resources will assist students in turning a rousing good read into an entertaining school report."

Publishers Weekly, August 31, 2009: "Audiences will step right up to this illuminating and thorough portrait of an entertainment legend"

School Library Journal, September 2009: "An outstanding choice for all middle level and secondary collections."

Instructor, November/December 2009: "You'll want to invite readers to step right up to this three-ring circus of a biography, which not only tells the story of P.T. Barnum, but also the circus culture he helped create and his impact and modern entertainment."

About

Discover the true story of P.T. Barnum, the man who created the world-famous Barnum & Bailey Circus, as featured in the movie The Greatest Showman!

The award-winning author of The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, Amelia Lost, and Our Eleanor brings us the larger-than-life biography of showman P. T. Barnum. Known far and wide for his jumbo elephants, midgets, and three-ring circuses, here’ s a complete and captivating look at the man behind the Greatest Show on Earth. Readers can visit Barnum’s American Museum; meet Tom Thumb, the miniature man (only 39 inches tall) and his tinier bride (32 inches); experience the thrill Barnum must have felt when, at age 60, he joined the circus; and discover Barnum’s legacy to the 19th century and beyond. Drawing on old circus posters, photographs, etchings, ticket stubs—and with incredible decorative art by Ray Fenwick—this book presents history as it’s never been experienced before—a show-stopping event!

Author

© Scott Fleming
Candace Fleming is the prolific and versatile award-winning author of many books for children and young adults. Her most recent title, The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh, received six starred reviews, was a Kirkus, PW, Booklist, and SLJ Best Book of the Year, and was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as a "fascinating chronicle." Candace's The Family Romanov also received six starred reviews and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Amelia Lost received four starred reviews and won the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction. Her many acclaimed picture books include Giant Squid, a Sibert Honor Book. Visit her on the web at candacefleming.com. View titles by Candace Fleming
Ray Fenwick is an artist, illustrator, and author living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of the graphic novels Hall of Best Knowledge and Mascots. View titles by Ray Fenwick

Awards

  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • WINNER
    Chicago Public LibraryÂ’s Best of the Best books
  • WINNER | 2010
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 2010
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • WINNER | 2010
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • WINNER | 2009
    Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books
  • WINNER | 2009
    Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
  • NOMINEE
    New Jersey Garden State Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2011
    Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master List

Praise

New York Times Book Review, December 6, 2009: “Lively… an engrossing portrait…honest and fun”

Starred Review, Booklist, June 1, 2009:
“The material is inherently juicy, but credit Fleming’s vivacious prose, bountiful period illustrations, and copious source notes for fashioning a full picture of one of the forbearers of modern celebrity.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2009:
"As revealing as it is entertaining."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2009: "the extensive gallery of period photos, engravings, and advertising bills, are worth the price of admission, and bibliography, source notes, index, and web resources will assist students in turning a rousing good read into an entertaining school report."

Publishers Weekly, August 31, 2009: "Audiences will step right up to this illuminating and thorough portrait of an entertainment legend"

School Library Journal, September 2009: "An outstanding choice for all middle level and secondary collections."

Instructor, November/December 2009: "You'll want to invite readers to step right up to this three-ring circus of a biography, which not only tells the story of P.T. Barnum, but also the circus culture he helped create and his impact and modern entertainment."

Books for Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month

Penguin Random House Education is proud to celebrate Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs annually from September 15th through October 15th. We are highlighting the works of our authors and illustrators from the Latinx and Hispanic community, whose stories and characters have a profound impact on our society. Here is a selection of titles

Read more

2024 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

Read more

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more