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Jugglers have been entertaining people for thousands of years. Two popular children’s authors have written books based on the seven-hundred-year-old French manuscript describing the legend of the little juggler of Notre Dame. Barbara Cooney’s book, The Little Juggler, takes place in France and Tomie dePaola’s book, The Clown of God, is set in Italy.
The art of juggling goes back to at least ancient Egyptian times. The earliest known picture of toss juggling was painted on the walls of an ancient Egyptian tomb about 4,000 years ago. The Chinese Book of Lie Zi, written between 475-221 B.C., described a warrior juggling seven swords. Tailefer, a Norman juggler, juggled his sword at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Even though juggling fell out of favor in Europe during the Middle Ages, it remained popular around the rest of the world, most notably India, Mexico, Tonga, China, and Japan.
The current popularity of juggling in the United States can be traced to the 1980s, when it spread here from Europe. View an outstanding juggling show in the Wauwatosa Civic Center Auditorium on Monday, June 18, 2007 at 10:00-10:45 or 1:30-2:15. The Truly Remarkable Loon will juggle clubs, balls, sporting equipment, giant beanbags and even his pet mongoose. His grand finale is plate spinning. Families with children 3-years-old and older are welcome. For more information, please contact the Wauwatosa Public Library, Children’s Department at 414-471-8486.
