Super cute book about finding your own path in life, with a great family too boot! The illustrations are gorgeous. Kids would enjoy this simple story, and grown-ups will appreciate the message. Highly Recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books Inc for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a picture book originally published in Switzerland by a Slovenian author. So this is a translation.

Adam is the youngest member of the Von Trapeze family and the family are members of a circus troupe. Each member of the family is very skilled/talented at something standardly found in a circus like tightrope walking or fire breathing. Except for Adam.

Adam plays the tuba very well, but feels like an outcast from his family because he isn’t talented in the ways of the circus.

The story is about family accepting and loving a family member even when they aren’t quite like the rest and even how those differences can make the whole better.

The story is very sweet and good, but the illustrations are what make it magical. They are just stunning and beautifully rendered and make the story come to life. They are why I gave it a 5-star rating.

This book just came out this past Tuesday, so be sure to check it out.

Everyone in the Von Trapeze family is talented at circus tricks except for the Adam, the youngest member. He has no interest in swalowing swords or being fired from a cannon. He does have a special talent, however. If he could only figure out how let everyone else in on his secret.

This is a fine tale about finding yourself. And, the illustrations by Maja Kastelic are spectacular.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a sweet book. Adam feels like the odd one out in his family because his talent doesn't match those of the rest of the family. As the family struggles to find a place for Adam he assures them that he already has one.

WHAT a gorgeous book.

This is a story of a family who all loves doing things that pertain to the circus they run; all but one, the youngest. He marches to his own drum [or tuba in this case ;-) ] and it is up to his family to realize this and accept it.

This is a great story about being different and how that is okay and how awesome it is when one's family recognizes that different isn't wrong and how much that difference can add to the family.
I loved this story and the gorgeous illustrations [so old-timey and fun] that are colorful and engaging.
I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ziga X Gombac, Maja Kastelic - Illustrator, Olivia Hellewell - Translator, and NorthSouth Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Adam and His Tuba by Ziga X Gombac was a very sweet children's book about a boy who wants nothing more than to fit in with his circus family, but he cannot do the things that they can do.

An encouraging story with a message about being yourself and appreciating our differences! The artwork and the story were both wonderful, no notes.

This book was sent to me to read and review. Sometimes the download of e-books gets a bit wonky and the text does not flow with the illustrations or there are breaks in the page set up. I think this is the case for this title. The illustrations were beautifully created and helped the story to make sense. The test itself was disjointed and hard to follow. But - as I read through this picture book I enjoyed the theme of finding your own path and being yourself even if others do not understand you. A good message to share with young people who often feel like being different is being wrong. I am sure that in print format with the wonderful artwork the story will be a hit !

Adam and his tuba really aren't that different from the rest of his family members. He is still very artsy and creative (if not daring) and his skill set fits in quite nicely with his circus family. It's not like he has decided to be an accountant or a dentist. The message is good but doesn't have much oomph. But I suppose for a young child it doesn't need to. The artwork is very beautiful.

I love this story. Sometimes we can feel like we don’t fit in, even within our own families. Adam’s family all does something for the circus: breathe fire, walk a tightrope, shoot out of a cannon, etc. Adam doesn’t. There is a part where the family discusses what Adam can do, and ultimately they find Adam playing the tuba. It is a beautiful story that shows embracing a person taking a different path in a family business.

Thank you to the author, NorthSouth Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wonderful children's book tells the story of a circus family and looks at the issue of Iexpectations, acceptance and belonging. The story is simple, but has a lot of depth in terms of how the family reacts to young Adam, who doesn't seem to fit in anywhere - until it becomes clear that his talents are different and perhaps unexpected - and perfectly complement those of the rest of the family. The illustrations are stunning, and remind me a lot of some of my favorite Czech and Slovakian artists. There is so much detail in each page that rereading is a joy because you can always discover something new. Highly recommend!

This somewhat wordy picture book comes into translation with rare speed, and just about justifies it. Adam is not brazen or daring enough to fit in with the family tradition, which is a bit awkward when they make up everyone in a travelling circus. But that's not to say he's not without exceptional talent – if only they would realise… No, the message is not really new and rather heavily done, but the lightness of touch from the art, heavy on the sepia-seeming tones, and the joy of the circus setting, still make this a commendable book. Four stars plus.

Cute book about family and belonging. The book is labeled for ages 4-8, but I think he story might be a little oversimplified for an 8 year old. I’d say it’s probably more in the 4-6 year range. Adam’s family is worried because he doesn’t fit in with any of their circus talents - they’ve all tried to teach him their talents with no success, then one day they learn he has his own talent. The family members are worried Adam must be sad or angry they didn’t know about it, and they incorporate his talent into the show.
The majority of the interesting parts of the book focus on the ideas Adam’s family had to try and find his talent and then the ways Adam used his talent once the family learned about it. I think there could have been a little more focus on finding and bringing his talent to light, but overall a cute story with a positive message.

This was one of those beautifully illustrated sophisticated picture books, the ones where the artwork illustrations are just top-notch. The story itself was also gorgeous and strangely enough as I was reading it, I couldn't help but think of Batman and Robin - the movie where Chris O'Donnell played Robin. The connection was how before Robin's family was slaughtered by the villain - his family was a troupe of circus performers and they all lived for the circus life. Robin being too young ended up becoming Batman's sidekick after he managed to escape and survive the situation. The other movie I thought about was the Sound of Music as this family is called the Von Trapeze and in the movie Sound of Music, it is the Von Trapp family. All of Adam's family are circus performers and have been for generations, however, Adam doesn't seem to fit the circus life and during the book - his family tries to push him into various circus jobs but nothing sticks and he isn't happy. Later we discover that Adam's talent lies in his Tuba playing and that unlike his family he doesn't like the spotlight. Can Adam's family help him incorporate his talent into their circus acts and can Adam finally find a spot and acceptance within his family? Find out in this gorgeous heartfelt family tale of Adam and his Tuba by Ziga X Gombac.

Adam and His Tuba is such a great book! Among the magical backdrop of a Circus, a family learns the importance of listening to once another. I loved ever but of this book. The art is gorgeous! The story is heartwarming! I'd love to read more about Adam and his family!

This is a beautiful children's story with gorgeous artwork. Translated from the original Slovenian work.

I loved watching Adam figure out his own way in life and letting his family know what he would like to do to help out the show. The illustrations were beautiful and this was such a cute book!

Adam and His Tuba by Ziga X Gombac, illustrated by Maja Kastelic (translated by Olivia Hallewell, NorthSouth Books, February 2023) is a sweet story about the youngest child of the Von Trapeze family, which, as you may surmise, is a talented circus family. But Adam cannot do the highwire, be part of a human pyramid, or swallow swords. His family is concerned that he doesn’t fit in with the family’s circus act.

But Adam has a secret that he embraces: playing his tuba. He sneaks away from the busyness of the circus to practice and enjoy the calming sound he enjoys. One day the rest of his noisy and busy family hears his tuba music. They are surprised and impressed by his talent, and to Adam’s surprise, they fully support his unique talent as part of the family’s performance. I love that music is his unique talent because I too find music a valuable skill and blessing to our world!

The soft muted-color illustrations only add to the message in this picture book that we can all be ourselves, and that our unique talents have a place in the circus of life. In the final spread, the bright contrast of the circus lights, flames, and other entertainments, along with the bright brass of Adam’s tuba, nicely conclude this feel-good book.

Note: I read a digital review copy of this book.

"Adam and His Tuba" is about a circus put on by a family. Adam is the youngest in the family. His family discovers that Adam has a hidden talent of playing the tuba. He begins to perform his tuba as part of the circus.

Young Adam is part of a family that owns a small circus in what appears to be Europe in the previous century. Everyone in the family has a talent or skill that suits the circus, such as tightrope walking, but Adam spends his time playing the tuba. When the family hears him play, they realize his talent is a great asset. The message that all types of talent can contribute is refreshing. The burnished sepia illustrations help to set the 1930’s to ‘50’s time period and depict the family as white. First published in Switzerland in German in 2022, and translated by Olivia Hellewell.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This is a story about the black sheep of a circus family. Everyone else has an act in the show, but he has no interest in the things they do to impress the crowds. This is a problem because everyone should contribute and he is old enough that he should be part of the show by now.

I don't really understand why no one thought to ask Adam what he wanted to do to contribute, since surely some of them suggested their own new acts at some point. There's no way they all just learned something that someone else was previously doing. When they hear him playing his tuba, things change.

Ultimately this is a story of a family not understanding when someone else is a little different. But ultimately they realize his differences make him great too.

The illustrations have an antique look to them, like they were drawn 100 years ago, and they seem very fitting for this circus story. Overall I give it 3.7 out of 5 stars.