Jingle the Christmas Clown

With a little bit of magic, one plucky clown is determined to turn Christmas around for a village that’s down on its luck in this enchanting tale from Tomie dePaola.

Every midwinter, little Jingle and his family, Il Circo Piccolo, The Little Circus, travel through the countryside to the city for their special Christmas performance. Each year, they stop at the same little village to put on a show for its residents. It’s Jingle’s favorite night.

This year, though, things are different. There is no smoke coming out of the chimneys. Everything is closed up. And the few people still in town have fallen on hard times and don’t have the money to see the circus anymore.

But Jingle is not so easily deterred. With the help of his baby animals, he is determined to put on a show that no one will forget.

Tomie dePaola (1934–2020) was the beloved author and/or illustrator of more than 270 books for young readers, including the children’s classic, Strega Nona. He was the recipient of the Newbery Honor, Caldecott Honor, and the 2011 Children’s Literature Legacy Award for “significant and lasting contribution to children’s literature.” A native of Connecticut, Mr. dePaola studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his life in New London, New Hampshire. Visit his work online at Tomie.com.