An opening page proclaims the arrivial of the Magical Midnight Circus in words, but the following pages portray the show in images alone.

All the performers are tiny and their props are things found in an ordinary home: a book is the stage, pen nibs are juggling balls, and a bulldog clip supports an acrobat.

With characteristic playfulness, Anno constantly forces us to reassess what we are seeing.

Even the back cover has to been viewed in a mirror to be read.