The Circus and Other Stories

“Ice cream, Strawberry, Peppermint, Lime,
Step this way and stand in line!”
In 1920s Soviet Russia, writer and poet Samuil Marshak and graphic artist Vladimir Lebedev came together to bring the energy and boldness of Russian avant-garde art into children’s publishing. The results of this remarkable collaboration were a series of stunning picture books, four of which are collected and reproduced in full here, newly translated, together in one volume for the first time.
The Circus, Ice Cream, How the Plane Made a Plane, and Yesterday and Today are overtly modern and graphically striking. Marshak’s joyful rhymes are visually built into Lebedev’s illustrations, where figures, objects, and even lettering are simplified into brightly colored geometric shapes. The four stories are a wonderful celebration of modern life, and continue to energize and inspire readers decades after their creation.