Lewis Clowns Around is about a puffin who is tired of having a normal life and decides that he wants to go to a circus and become a clown. He is hired by a ringmaster of a circus but realizes that being a puffin is very important as well as being a clown. ( )

There once were two puffins who lived on a rock; / Harris was happy, but Lewis was not. / At dinnertime, Lewis complained with a sigh, / "I hate eating fish, and these cliffs are too high. / The waves make me seasick, the wind makes me spin, / I'm hopeless at flying - I just don't fit in." And so begins this rollicking tale of Lewis, a puffin who decides to strike out on his own, leaving his brother and their parliament, to become a circus clown. Hired by the foxy ringmaster, our alcidine hero joins Carla Koala's act, and trains for his big debut as a performer. But when opening night comes, and his partner finds herself in trouble, Lewis discovers that being a puffin is just as important as being a clown...

Lewis Clowns Around is the second title I have read thus far, from the Picture Kelpies collection (the first was Wee Granny's Magic Bag), put out by Edinburgh-based publisher Floris Books, and intended to highlight "original Scottish picture books" of worth. I enjoyed it a great deal! Lewis makes for an engaging avian hero, and I thought his calling as a clown was quite appropriate, given the fact that puffins are sometimes known as the "clowns of the sea." Apparently Lynne Rickards, who was born in the USA, but now lives in Scotland, is very influenced by the work of Dr. Seuss - something I could readily see, when reading through her poetic tale. With a rhyming text that rolls off the tongue, and cute color illustrations from Gabby Grant, this would make an excellent read-aloud selection. Well worth the time of any young reader who like puffins (I'm fond of them myself), or who enjoys poetic picture-books! ( )