Ursula Upside Down

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 12/02/2024

Caldecott Honoree Tabor has once again found a subject that aligns well with his love of flipped formats: the upside down catfish, which an author's note states lives in Africa's Congo River basin. Pink, plump, and whimsically whiskered, Ursula lives in a "wonderful world"—signature-style illustrations depict a blissful underwater environment in sun-streaked, translucent aquatic tones. There, "river weeds waved from above. Rays of sun shimmered from below," and insects on the water's surface are ripe for the picking. But when another fish indicates that Ursula is upside down relative to others in their shared habitat ("Just look around!" it says), doubt sets in. Ursula upends her orientation (Tabor instructs readers to turn the book accordingly) and ends up thoroughly confused ("Was left right?! Was right wrong?! Which way was even up?!")—and dangerously stranded on the shore. She encounters an ideal rescuer in Vern, a kindly bat; when Ursula notes that Vern is "upside down too!" after Vern rolls her back into the water and returns to his hanging position in a tree, Vern replies blithely, "Upside down?... Says who?" Readers will also note several other species in the picture that share the duo's outlook, offering a funny and final reminder that perspective need not be isolating. Ages 4–8.