Flora & Ulysses:The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell,
231 pages
Kate DiCamillo has written books in almost every kid lit
format imaginable: picture books, early readers, chapter books. For her latest work, she tackles the hybrid
comic book/illustrated novel format popularized by Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series. The result is the charming Flora & Ulysses, a tale of
unexpected friendships, a superhero squirrel and the joy of poetry (and giant
donuts!). The plot is adorably absurd - Ulysses
the squirrel gains his superpowers and loses most of his fur after an unfortunate encounter
with a rogue vacuum cleaner - but also explores the ways that different characters
cope with loneliness and feeling unwanted.
The comic book/illustrated novel format presents a great
hook for reluctant readers and the short chapter length breaks the story up
into easily digestible chunks. Flora’s
expansive vocabulary may present issues for some young readers, but DiCamillo assists
by seamlessly sprinkling in context clues.
K.G. Campbell’s illustrations are presented in comic panels in a style
that favors soft shading over the traditional bold lines of comic books. The pictures compliment the sweetness of the
story nicely; my favorite illustration comes toward the end of the book and shows Flora hugging Ulysses (it may even have caused me to tear up a bit).
Flora & Ulysses made
the National Book Award Longlist for Young People’s Literature in September and
is garnering a lot of Newbery Award buzz in the kid lit blogosphere – check out
some other reviews:
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