Luciano Anastasini didn’t want to leave the circus after a serious fall ended his career as a trapeze artist. So he developed a new act using dogs—strays and surrenders from the pound, with behavior issues that made it unlikely others would adopt them. Penny ran around in wild circles, and often into walls and furniture. Tyke had an attitude problem—he never did what he was told, and he’d bitten someone. Cocoa loved to dig … and dig … and dig. Luciano worked hard to understand the dogs, cleverly turning what others had seen as misbehaviors into building blocks for the act by meeting each animal on its own terms. Once Luciano taught cross-eyed Penny to understand which objects she saw were the real thing, she was jumping through hoops; Cocoa—full of abundant energy—literally ran circles around the ring; and Tyke, that master of defiance, was getting laughs for his refusal to follow the rules—he did things backwards. Luciano’s love and respect for animals is fierce and heartening as revealed in this inspired photo documentary about how he and his ten “Pound Puppies” came together and became big top stars. Eye-catching color photos accompany the lively narrative. (Ages 5–10)

After a lifetime circus performer falls fifty feet from the high wire breaking many bones, his days as an acrobat are over. Still determined to work in the circus, he begins taking in stray and unwanted dogs and helps them overcome their defects and bad habits by focusing on their unique personalities. After two years of teaching them to perform circus tricks, he and his Pound Puppies become stars of the Big Top. Includes color photos.