Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Winner, 2014 Newbery Award
Quick Summary
When natural-born cynic Flora Belle Buckman meets a squirrel with superhero qualities, life begins to look a lot like the pages of her favorite comic book. (Here's how the author describes it: "I set out to tell the story of a vacuum cleaner and a squirrel. I ended up writing a book about superheroes, cynics, poetry, love, giant donuts, little shepherdess lamps, and how we are all working to find out way home. Seal blubber!")
Favorite Quote
You can navigate by the North Star. Supposedly.
Moss grows on the north side of trees. Or so they say.
If you are lost in the woods, you should stay where you are and someone will come and find you. Maybe.
About the Author
Kate DiCamillo lives in Minnesota. She's the author of more than a dozen books for children. Her book The Tale of Despereaux was an Newbery Award winner in 2004.
My Project
The typewriter plays a central role in this book. It belongs to the mom, a romance writer, but the squirrel uses it to communicate. The typewritten sheet contains one of my favorite lines in the book that's repeated by several characters, including the squirrel. I took some artistic liberties in painting the wooden typewriter pink. (The mom seemed like the kind of person who would definitely own a pink typewriter if she could get her hands on one.) I wanted the squirrel to be represented in shadow since superhero characters often seem a bit mysterious. I added the black border and thought bubble to help emphasize the comic-book aspect of this story.
Final Thoughts
This is my kind of book! Not only is it full of richly imaginative writing but there are some comic-style cartoons sprinkled throughout. My memory of adults in children's book is that they are largely dull or absent. So it was a fun surprise to see that the adults were as well developed and realistic as the kids. The two children in the book don't have perfect parents, but they do have other caring adults who are present in their lives. I have a soft spot for the neighbor Tootie who when confronted with the main character in mid-crisis, simply says, "Let me get my purse." I loved how the main character tries to apply the advice she's learned from reading comic books into her real life, especially the one titled Terrible Things Can Happen To You. There's tons of fun dialogue and situational humor. (The early chapter on squirrels and food is laugh-out-loud funny.) This book is a terrific example of how a book that's largely humorous can still have thoughtful or sad moments.
I hadn't played with vinyl too much before this project, but I found it easy and fun to cut by hand. You do need very fine-pointed scissors (or a craft knife) to get the details with the fur. (I don't want to give away too much plot, but let's just say that the squirrel is a bit disheveled and I wanted to make sure to capture that.) I love the shine of the pink typewriter. The paint I used was designed for metal, not wood, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. My biggest challenge with this piece was keeping it simple. There were so many art-worthy bits of inspiration that I couldn't include without making this piece feel cluttered.
Your Turn
Readers: If you read this book, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.
Back to the Newbery Book-Inspired Art Schedule