Otto and Crackers continue to search for Georgie. A lead takes them on a road trip of small town USA.

Otto the elephant continues his search for his childhood friend Georgie, a chimpanzee who was abducted from their forest home in Africa and shipped to the wilds of America by the Man with the Wooden Nose. When Otto sees a circus poster with a chimp that looks just like Georgie, he and his parrot friend, Crackers, follow the trail of the traveling circus. Along the way, they crash a football game, steal a peanut-shaped car and get thrown in jail. Will Otto and Crackers find Georgie? Or will trouble find them first? Big Top Otto is the second book in the Elephants Never Forget series chronicling the hilarious adventures of the tenacious pachyderm, Otto, and his wisecracking parrot pal, Crackers. Told with gentle humor and lots of visual gags, this series is an action-packed celebration of friendship and perseverance.

An unforgettable comic caper from bestselling illustrator Bill Slavin.

Otto the elephant’s hunt for his childhood friend, Georgie, a chimp who was snatched away by the Man with the Wooden Nose, has led to Hollywood. With his parrot sidekick, Crackers, Otto dodges ruthless talent agents, an overzealous elephant rescue organization and egos the size of, well, elephants! Will these childhood pals have a Hollywood ending? Or will the villains ruin Otto’s plot? Big Star Otto is the final book in the Elephants Never Forget series chronicling the hilarious adventures of the tenacious pachyderm, Otto, and his wisecracking pal, Crackers. Using humor and lots of visual gags, this series is an action-packed celebration of friendship and perseverance.

Once an eagerly awaited spectacle, the traveling circus--that miracle of red wagons, trumpeting elephants and spangled trapeze artists that slipped into town at dawn and disappeared by midnight--has all but vanished from the American landscape. This work explores circus history from 1793 to the present and addresses the forces of modern culture (such as the popularity of Cirque du Soleil, and pressure from the animal rights movement) that are pushing big top shows toward what the author calls "circus ballet." Numerous photographs and in-depth interviews conducted with show owners, performers and directors enrich the narrative. Overall, the book reveals a sobering contrast between circuses of yesterday and today, even as it honors the outstanding performers who created, and have sustained, the enduring appeal of the circus.

“Les Standiford takes us under the big top and behind the curtain in this richly researched and thoroughly engaging narrative that captures all of the entrepreneurial intrigue and spirit of the American circus.” —Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Devil in the Grove Millions have sat under the “big top,” watching as trapeze artists glide and clowns entertain, but few know the captivating stories behind the men whose creativity, ingenuity, and determination created one of our country’s most beloved pastimes. In Battle for the Big Top, New York Times–bestselling author Les Standiford brings to life a remarkable era when three circus kings—James Bailey, P. T. Barnum, and John Ringling—all vied for control of the vastly profitable and influential American Circus. Ultimately, the rivalry of these three men resulted in the creation of an institution that would surpass all intentions and, for 147 years, hold a nation spellbound. Filled with details of their ever-evolving showmanship, business acumen, and personal magnetism, this Ragtime-like narrative will delight and enchant circus-lovers and anyone fascinated by the American experience.

Covering genres from adventure and fantasy to horror, science fiction, and superheroes, this guide maps the vast terrain of graphic novels, describing and organizing titles to help librarians balance their graphic novel collections and direct patrons to read-alikes. New subgenres, new authors, new artists, and new titles appear daily in the comic book and manga world, joining thousands of existing titles—some of which are very popular and well-known to the enthusiastic readers of books in this genre. How do you determine which graphic novels to purchase, and which to recommend to teen and adult readers? This updated guide is intended to help you start, update, or maintain a graphic novel collection and advise readers about the genre. Containing mostly new information as compared to the previous edition, the book covers iconic super-hero comics and other classic and contemporary crime fighter-based comics; action and adventure comics, including prehistoric, heroic, explorer, and Far East adventure as well as Western adventure; science fiction titles that encompass space opera/fantasy, aliens, post-apocalyptic themes, and comics with storylines revolving around computers, robots, and artificial intelligence. There are also chapters dedicated to fantasy titles; horror titles, such as comics about vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, and the occult; crime and mystery titles regarding detectives, police officers, junior sleuths, and true crime; comics on contemporary life, covering romance, coming-of-age stories, sports, and social and political issues; humorous titles; and various nonfiction graphic novels.

Tents for good and move the circus indoors. It also shows that North's circus was not artistically run down and losing money when he sold it in 1967 but in fact had been reestablished as a profitable enterprise that earned first-rate critical notices and was attracting larger crowds each year. Hammarstrom has interviewed a host of key circus figures including North himself; his brother, Henry; his famous general manager, Arthur M. Concello; and many performers.

Somewhere over the rainbow and just off the Yellow Brick Road stands Toy City, formerly known as Toy Town. And things are not going well for the city's inhabitants. There have been outbreaks of STC - Spontaneous Toy Combustion - and there are strange signs and portents in the Heavens. Preachers of Toy City's many religions are predicting that the End Times are approaching and that a Toy City Apocalypse will soon come to pass. But can this possibly be true, or is there a simple explanation - an alien invasion, for instance. With the body count rising and the forces of law and order baffled, it is the time for a hero to step forward and attempt to save the day. Well, two heroes actually, Eddie Bear, Toy City Private Eye and his loyal sidekick, Jack: our courageous twosome are about to face their biggest challenge yet, to save not only toykind, but the world of mankind too. Which should keep them out of the pub for a while.

Everyone and everything in the village of Biggersville is giant sized. After all, it is a village of Giants! Giant trees, giant houses, giant animals, and all the giant villagers. Everyone and everything, except for a seven-year-old boy named Little Otto. He seems to have stopped growing. Even with wonderful, supportive parents like Big Otto and Gertie DeGrande and his very best friend Lizzie, who is a year younger and twice as tall, Little Otto can’t help but feel that he is too different to fit in. He can ride Gretchen the Giant Goose and swing on Bessie the Giant Cow’s tail and join Lizzie in all their great adventures together, but deep down, all he dreams about is being the same as everyone else. It’s no fun feeling “small.” Until one day, when his best friend Lizzie has gone missing after school and the whole village was out searching for her, they turned to Little Otto to save Lizzie, and he learned that what made him feel “different” all this time was exactly what would save the day and his best friend! And that loving and being true to who you are will always make you a feel like a giant to yourself and to others.