Circus Adventures
The circus is coming to town today. Sally is excited. She will be going to the circus. She will see animals. She will see exciting acts. She will see the clowns.
Sally wants to go early. She does not want to miss an act. She has never been to the circus. This will be her first time. She wants it to be a special day.
Sally's mom is taking her. Sally's little brother and sister are going, too. They want to see different acts. She hopes her sister will not cry. She hopes her brother will be good. She hopes Mom will not come home early.
Sally rides to the circus in a truck. It is what her mom drives. She likes the rumble of the truck. It means they are on their way. It means she can dream of the circus. It means she will soon see the circus.
Sally is happy to arrive at the circus. Her mom gives the ticket booth their tickets. They go in. There are seats everywhere. Mom says Sally can pick the seat. Sally chooses a seat in the front row. She wants to be able to see everything.
The elephants come out first. They do tricks for the people. One elephant stands on a ball. Another elephant has a rider. He stands on his hind legs.
The people riding the elephants do tricks. They jump and flip on the elephant. The crowd claps and cheers. It is fun to watch the tricks. Sally wishes she could do tricks too.
The elephants form a train. They dance and sway for the crowd. They pick up things to show their strength. The elephants like playing for the crowd. They are happy in the circus.
Sally thinks the elephants are cute. She wants to take one home with her. Mom says elephants are not pets. Mom says elephants belong in the circus. She says the zoo is good for them too. Mom says houses are not places for elephants.
The lions come out to the ring. They jump through hoops of fire. Sally's eyes are big. She thinks it is the coolest thing. She does not know how the lions do it. She wants to be a lion tamer now.
The lions roar for the crowd. The sound vibrates the air. It feels like thunder. Sally's sister roars back at the lion. Sally's little brother does not make a sound. Sally sits with her mouth open. She is amazed at the lions.
The trainer does a trick. He puts his head in the lion's mouth. The lion does not bite him. It is a scary trick. Sally wants to try it. She wants a lion of her own.
Mom says Sally does not need a lion. She says a lion is not a pet. She says Sally can have a cat. Lions do not live in houses. Mom tells Sally lions belong in the circus. She says zoos have lions too.
The clowns chase the lions away. It is their turn now. They drive little cars. There are many clowns in each car. They are funny. Sally likes the clowns.
The clowns juggle balls and pins. They do magic tricks. The clowns pull flowers out of hats. The clowns make the crowd laugh. Sally's family laughs hard. Everyone claps for the clowns.
Sally wants to be a clown. She wants to work in a circus. She thinks it would be fun. Sally can see herself in the little cars. She wants the crowd to clap for her.
Mom laughs at Sally. She says Sally can work in the circus. Mom says Sally is already a clown. She thinks Sally is already silly. Sally thinks Mom is a clown.
The acrobats begin to fly through the air. Sally watches as they do stunts. Some bounce and flip on trampolines. Others tumble in the air on swings. Still more walk tiny wires above the crowd. The acrobats are fearless.
Sally watches them ride bikes on the wire. She looks up as they carry poles. There is even a bike with one wheel. Mom tells Sally it is a unicycle. Mom says the acrobats have good balance. Sally does not know what balance is.
The acrobats do not fall. Sally wonders how they do it. She wants to fly through the air. She wants to be like a bird. She watches them dance without strings. She wonders if they are afraid. She thinks they must be very brave.
Sally asks Mom how the acrobats learn tumbling. Mom says they go to school. She says they learn in gyms. Sally wants to go to the gym. She tells Mom she wants to fly too. Mom laughs.
Mom explains they are not flying. They are athletes. The tricks they do are gymnastics. She says Sally can learn gymnastics. She tells Sally she can take a class.
The circus is almost over. Mom tells Sally she can get a treat. Mom tells her little brother and sister too. She says a circus needs popcorn. She thinks they will like cotton candy. Sally's little brother hears candy. He wants candy now.
Sally thinks about her treat. She wants it to last a long time. She wants to take the circus home. She chooses popcorn. She thinks it will taste like the circus.
Sally's sister wants peanuts. She thinks Sally is wrong. Peanuts are the taste of a circus. Popcorn is not. She wants to be right.
Sally and her sister get an idea. They will share the popcorn and peanuts. Then they will taste the whole circus. They want the biggest ones. They want the circus to last forever.
Mom laughs at them. She gets the treats. She says it is time to go. Everyone gets in the truck. Sally and her sister eat their treats. Her brother eats his candy. They dream about the circus on the ride. They will dream of the circus for a long time.
