Author/Illustrator: Kate DiCamillo and K.G Campbell
Genre: Newbery Award
Age Group: 4th - 5th grade
Summary:
This story is about a young girl named Flora, and a new friend that she makes. A squirrel named Ulysses. Before making the friend, she is dealing with her parents recently got divorced and a mother who is not being attentive towards her.
She runs to the squirrel's rescue when she sees her neighbor vacuum him up and she believes she can save him. After giving the squirrel mouth to mouth and saving him, she takes him inside. She believes he is a superhero! Making no attempt to hide him, her mother is oblivious to her holding the squirrel and she takes him up to her room with her. Later that night she is having a conversation with the squirrel and he seems to be understanding Flora which furthers her belief that he is a superhero. This book takes you on their adventure together, from Ulysses writing on her Floras mother's typewriter, to going out in public at a restaurant with him and her father.
Later in the story, Ulysses disappears, leaving Flora in a panic. She and a family friend go and look for him, finding him back at where they began. Ulysses saves their friend from being attacked by a cat which leaves them happy and begins to open up and talk about the problems the family had been going through.
In my classroom, I would use this book for a lesson on imagination. Flora believes the squirrel is a superhero, and in a way, she is right because he is there to help her get through her family issues.
I think the age group between 9 to 11 would be good because this is the age group where kids start to use their imagination more as well as write about it.
After reading this book I would have the students write about a story where an animal of their choosing was a superhero and then make a comic strip out of it.
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