Fleadom Children’s Book Project (2024 - 2025)

Fleadom Children’s Book:

I first remember encountering flea circuses in cartoons and books back when I was a child. They always stood out to me as this really strange and interesting thing; and for most of my adult life I thought that they were simply an illusion created with magnets, springs and little gears to trick the eye. In speaking with my collaborator and friend Marta Janik about the topic, I was fascinated to learn that yes, while there are indeed fake mechanical flea circuses known as “Humbug” shows;  real flea performers and circuses actually do exist.

So, I was enamored with idea of these little creatures hopping around their own tiny big top and putting on little shows. It also got me thinking that a flea circus is a really wonderful setting to demonstrate that people or things don’t have to be big in size, to be special, magical or important in our lives. With all of this in mind and more, we got work on the creation of our book.

Fleadom is a raucous, fun fueled journey through life at an extravagant Flea Circus. In this magical setting, fleas, animals and humans all collaborate as equals to perform wondrous and reality defying stunts. Under our little big top we learn that creatures and people don’t have to be big in size to be important or to do amazing things. 

In this book the renowned Polish and Irish collage artists Marta Janik and Anthony D Kelly use digital collage, poetry, interview techniques and other playful writings to breathe life into an intricate world inspired by the flea circus tradition. Utilizing their skills and experience they give a voice for the first time to these tiny performers, often with hilarious and touching affect.

The book itself is constructed like a traditional Circus performance with familiar acts undertaken by legendary insects, and with strange and humorous twists. Clowns, Acrobats, Dancers, Flea-Cannon Performers, Strongfleas and other hilarious acts such as Luciano Pavarotflea, Clint Fleastwood, Dollflea Pardon, Charlflea Chaplin, Lillian Fleatzel and of course the illustrious Emmett.

Rich with tiny details, hidden meanings, and with historical and cultural references, this is a book that invites parents and children to delve into its pages and explore its magical world again and again, each time finding some new and interesting details that elaborate on the colourful universe within. 

To quote that most famous of playwrights “To Flea, or not to Flea, that is the question”.

*Fleadom is currently being entered in various publication competitions. It was recently chosen as one of the most interesting projects as part of the Clairvoyants Competition 5th Edition (2024) and will be included in a post competition exhibition in Warsaw, Poland. It has also recently been chosen as part of the Mayo Children’s Book Mapping Project, which will launch at The National Museum of Country Life, Turlough, Co.Mayo, Ireland on June 7th (2025).