Tracy Napper

5. Circus Party (copyright 1992 Best Personalized Books, Inc.) is a Contemporary Realistic Fiction story written by Tracy Napper and Illustrated by Karen McDonald. This was one of my all-time favorite books in first grade. I love language in it, the writing, and the characters. Circus Party is very direct and explicit in its language. It goes into just enough detail to describe things like the clowns, monkeys, and the main circus tent. This is evident in the description of the main Chimp, CoCo. CoCo is described as a young and playful chimp who loves to ride her bike. The author even describes the bike as a bright red bike that had sparkly handle bars with a little horn attached. The writing is also very clear easy to follow. The author does a great job of describing each aspect of the circus and it is very easy to follow the story from start to finish. The writing is very organized and flows very neatly. On each page the writer organizes her thoughts on the page to where I can clearly make out what is happening. I love the main character of the story. ME! This book was especially made for me for my first day of first grade. I think a personalized book is a great idea for a student in the early elementary grades. This can have the reader pay very close attention to the story. All vanity aside the main character, Casey develops very well in the story to a frightened little child holding his parents hand in the beginning, to a brave hero in the end. The main idea of this story is a great one for children in first grade. Family relationships. The main character is tempted to leave his family in the middle of the story, but through self-searching he finds he has all he needs in his family.… (meer)