Louise Trapeze did NOT lose the juggling chickens *probably

After proving she was old (and brave) enough to perform on the flying trapeze in Louise Trapeze Is Totally 100% Fearless (2015), Louise now wants some grown-up responsibilities she is seven, after all. The others at the Sweet Potato Traveling Circus have jobs of their very own even her best friend, Stella, takes care of Clementine the elephant and Louise feels left out. Finally, the perfect chance arrives to prove how mature and ready for responsibility she is: Chuck Cluck needs someone to look after his juggling chickens while he goes to town. Eager to do a perfect job all by herself, Louise proceeds to make a series of comical mistakes, each bigger than the last. Barrager's whimsical and exuberant illustrations are filled with circus oddities, while handwritten facts and definitions (of Louise's creation) pepper the text, further bringing the spirited protagonist to life. This endearing story of wanting to grow up and learning when to ask for help is full of humor, mishaps, and soap bubbles.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist

Louise Trapeze is back (Louise Trapeze Is Totally 100% Fearless, 2015), longing to be more mature than ever. Everyone at the Sweet Potato Traveling Circus Troupe has a job to do. Everyone, that is, except Louise. She does have a few Important Circus Jobs that she shares with her best friend, Stella, but it is not the same as having her very own grown-up responsibility. So she sets off to prove how dependable she can be. Earnest mistakes, such as causing a large "spaghetti-mountain spill" or putting too much oil on Clara Bear's unicycle, pile up. But perhaps babysitting the juggling chickens will be her chance. All she needs to do is feed them a small snack while their trainer is gone. What could possibly go wrong? As Louise says"Cheeze Louise and holy trapeze!"oh so much. Luckily, Louise learns that asking for help is sometimes the most responsible, grown-up thing one can do. While the well-meaning little girl who makes mistakes and has idiosyncratic speech patterns is hardly new to the shelves, the circus setting distinguishes Ostow's offering. Purple accents in the design and Barrager's squiggle sketch vignettes enliven this second big-top tale, though they display very little ethnic variation among the troupe. Louise is a feisty gal with the best of intentions. She just "accidentally a-little-bit" messes everything up. (Fiction. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.