The Bear in a Muddy Tutu by Cole Alpaugh

The Bear in a Muddy Tutu is a quirky tale, chock full of strange and strangely endearing characters, from a dancing bear to a little girl named Morgan who believes that when people die they become birds. At times, I wished certain characters had received more page time than others, and in the beginning, when characters were introduced, I was mystified how they'd all fit together. But like a puzzle, their pieces fit into place with the others in bizarre and sometimes freakishly coincidental ways. At the center of the puzzle is an old, broken down traveling circus, yet once you get to know the characters, you realize the circus is the perfect place for them to call home.

The characters are definite misfits, lost souls filled with emotional hurt, but they don't run around crying, "Woe is me.". They reminded me of an old stuffed animal with its fur worn off and a patchwork of fabric holding its stuffing inside. Broken? Yes. Worthless? No.

If you enjoy fast-paced, quirky reads filled with offbeat, colorful characters and a touch of sorrow draped in the colorful striping of a circus tent, I think you'll enjoy The Bear in a Muddy Tutu.

My friend and fellow writer, Regan Leigh, is having a contest to celebrate both the completion of edits to her own book and the release of The Bear in a Muddy Tutu. Click here for information on how to enter 'The Bear in a Basket Easter Giveaway'!