The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum »

Candace Fleming is the prolific author of many critically acclaimed, bestselling books for children. She lives in Mt. Prospect, Illinois.

Step right up! Meet the astounding . . . the amazing . . . P. T. Barnum!

The award-winning author of The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, Our Eleanor, and Ben Franklin’s Almanac brings us the larger-than-life biography of showman P. T. Barnum. Known far and wide for his jumbo elephants, midgets, and three-ring circuses, here’s a complete and captivating look at the man behind the Greatest Show on Earth. Readers can visit Barnum’s American Museum; meet Tom Thumb, the miniature man (only 39 inches tall) and his tinier bride (32 inches); experience the thrill Barnum must have felt when, at age 60, he joined the circus; and discover Barnum’s legacy to the 19th century and beyond. Drawing on old circus posters, photographs, etchings, ticket stubs—and with incredible decorative art by Ray Fenwick—this book presents history as it’s never been experienced before—a show-stopping event!

The Washington Post - Abby McGanney Nolan

In this lively biography, Fleming briskly and clearly describes how a boy from Connecticut survived his grandfather's practical jokes and grew up to be the supreme showman of the day…There are many fascinating tidbits here, and with its generous assortment of sidebars, photos and illustrations, the book sometimes resembles Barnum's world-renowned three-ring circus—you don't know where to look first—but it is enlightening through and through.