Flora's parents are self absorbed characters, especially her mother, who seems to care more about her career as a romance novelist rather than actually being a parent that shows any affection towards her own child. Flora's father appears to have gone through some sort of nervous breakdown though we never really get to the heart of the reason why he's not more involved in Flora's life. Flora has developed a cynical attitude and acts like her parents' divorce hasn't affected her, but it soon becomes apparent that Flora is lonely and that she hungers for her parents' care and attention.
Ulysses comes along and fills a void in Flora's heart.Conflict arises in the story when Flora's mother decides that squirrel must meet his maker. Ulysses is like the cat with nine lives and manages to escape. He is a brave little squirrel and his love for Flora is what makes this story so charming. I especially liked his poem for Flora where he tells her that she is "everything, all of it - sprinkles, quarks, giant donuts, eggs sunny-side up- you are the ever-expanding universe to me." Aw, love sure is sweet.
Throughout the novel, there are black and white illustrations with a comic book layout, which highlights Ulysses superhero like qualities and Flora's love for comic book superhero Incandesto, which she often compares Ulysses to.
This is a great read for kids in grades 2-5. I definitely recommend it as a classroom read aloud.
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