Module 4 (Part 1): Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, illlustrated by K.G. Campbell

Citation:

DiCamillo, K., & Campbell, K. G. (2013). Flora and Ulysses. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary:

Flora is a skeptic. She doesn’t hope. When that squirrel gets vacuumed up, she doesn’t hope the squirrel turns into a superhero, but he does. She doesn’t hope that she can talk to the squirrel, either, but she can. This book follow the adventures of Flora and her squirrel, Ulysses, who is a superhero. This is a story about finding love that you didn’t know you had.

My thoughts:

This adorable story is one I would love to read aloud to a group of children. While being fun and with the comic book inserts, it still shows an important lesson. It is ok to feel, but also know you are loved. This is a book I would have in not only a library collection, but a personal collection as well.

Professional Review:

“Ten-year-old Flora Belle Buckman's life changes when she resuscitates a squirrel after his near-death experience with her neighbor's Ulysses 2000X vacuum. Flora discovers that the incident has caused the squirrel, whom she also names Ulysses, to acquire superpowers. Despite being a "natural-born cynic," Flora's lively imagination and love of comics such as The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto! help her believe that Ulysses is bound for superhero greatness. There's only one problem: Ulysses's archnemesis, Flora's self-absorbed, romance novel-writing, squirrel-hating mother. Beneath the basic superhero-squirrel-friend plot, DiCamillo imbues this novel with emotion by focusing on larger life issues such as loss and abandonment, acceptance of difference, loneliness, love, overcoming fears, and the complexity of relationships. She also adds plenty of warmth and humor throughout: Flora enjoys using catch phrases and big words ("holy bagumba!"; malfeasance; capacious); Ulysses loves to eat. . .just about anything; and there is a quirky supporting cast, including Flora's absent-minded father, her eleven-year-old neighbor William Spiver, and his great-aunt, Tootie Tickham. Campbell's full-page and spot pencil illustrations accentuate the mood, while interspersed comic-book pages "illuminate" Ulysses's superhero adventures and serve as a nice visual complement to Flora's love of comics. This little girl and squirrel and their heartwarming tale could melt even the most hardened archnemesis's heart”

 Ritter, C.K. (2013). Flora & Ulysses: the ultimate adventures. Horn Book Magazine, 89(5), 91.

How to use this in a library:

This would be an excellent deviation to a superhero program. Have patrons create odd or unlikely superheroes, then read some of the Flora and Ulysses book. Or the other way around.