Ursula Upside Down

Written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor
Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins) | 2024

All is going swimmingly in Ursula, the cotton candy pink-colored catfish's underwater world until a curious yellow fish inquires, "But why are you upside down?". Ursula peeks around at the other creatures in her waters, then emotionally flips (and so does the book, quite literally!). Feeling bewildered and confused, she flops onto shore. Vern the bat flappy-flaps over to console her and rolls her back into the river to safety. "You're upside down, too?" she exclaims to Vern, and he confidently replies, "Says who?". This book is a beautiful affirmation for identity and belonging. Readers will delight in exploring the real-life upside-down catfish species that lives in the Congo River Basin of Central Africa.

Discussion questions:

How can we be more open to and accepting of perspectives that are different from our own?
Why does Ursula's questioning of her own perspective ultimately lead to a more complete understanding of her world?
What does it mean to accept someone who is different from you?

Vocabulary:

Scrumptious: tasting extremely good
Buffet: a meal where people serve themselves different types of food
Thoroughly: in a complete or thorough manner
Otherwise: in a different way or as an alternative
Thunderous: relating to thunder; very powerful or intense
Ferocious: fierce, cruel, or aggressive
Swooped: move rapidly downwards through the air
Gills: the respiratory organ of fishes and some amphibians

Video content:

Upside Down Catfish Facts

Publisher content:

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/ursula-upside-down-corey-r-tabor?variant=41096252489762

Activities:

Try some inverted vestibular activities with your students: head stands, handstands, cartwheels, tumbling
How to Make a Paper Catfish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae0-KA_XyhU
Make catfish from paper plates or paper tubes: https://www.theanalyticalmommy.com/fish-craft-for-preschool/

Corey Tabor

Author & Illustrator
www.coreyrtabor.com

Corey R. Tabor loves books. He especially loves picture books. He is the author and illustrator of several books for children, including the Caldecott Honor-winning Mel Fell and the Geisel Award-winning Fox Has a Problem, Fox at Night and Fox the Tiger. Corey lives in Tacoma, Washington with his wife and son and spends his time making pictures and stories.

Companion Books

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse