Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth - by Anna Fienberg (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A sweetly moving story about friendship and finding happiness, for readers who loved Wonder.

Frances is in a new house in a new neighborhood and going to a new school, but no amount of new can make her forget the old, sad secret dragging at her heart. Not the pictures of bacteria that she draws with painstaking precision, not even Picasso, the puppy with the long soft ears and the cute black circle like a target on his bottom. Then Frances meets Kit, the tall, quiet boy with the two-colored eyes. Kit is a real artist. His colored pencils fill page after page of exercise books. He sees wonder in the rocks and ferns and sky. Though Kit has worries of his own.

But when secrets are spilled, Frances's life turns grey and drab. Not even Picasso's wet nose can brighten her up. Frances and Kit will need to face the truth of their pasts to find color in their world again. After all, don't the most brilliant sunsets need a cloudy sky?

A beautiful novel about finding the remarkable in the ordinary and celebrating the wonder of every day, from the award-winning author of Borrowed Light.

'Marvellous, mind-opening, and deeply moving. The best book yet from this irresistible author.' Morris Gleitzman

'A beautifully written novel that encompasses such big things ... Frances, Kit and Picasso will stay with me for quite a while.' Karen Foxlee

'I loved this book with my whole heart. It's truly beautiful. And a gift to readers, young and old.' Maryam Master

'Push this into the hands of anyone who loved Storm Boy or Lenny's Book of Everything.' Books+Publishing

Review Quotes

Shortlisted for 2024 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature

'Marvellous, mind-opening, and deeply moving. The best book yet from this irresistible author.' Morris Gleitzman, author, Once

'A beautifully written novel that encompasses such big things ... Frances, Kit and Picasso will stay with me for quite a while.' Karen Foxlee, author, Lenny's Book of Everything

'Richly observed and laden with vocabulary and metaphor that will delight teachers and students alike ... Push this into the hands of anyone who loved Storm Boy. ' Books+Publishing

Winner of NOTABLE BOOK: 2024 CBCA Book of the Year, Older Readers

About the Author

Anna Fienberg has written more than forty well-loved books for children and young adults. Her career began when she worked as an editor for School Magazine, a NSW literary journal for children, which published her first story. She went on to win many awards for her novels and picture books, including Borrowed Light being chosen as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Anna writes for all ages, and has been published all over the world. Her ever-popular Tashi books, illustrated by Kim Gamble, have inspired an animated series for television. The latest is Tashi and the Stolen Forest.