Kirkus Reviews QR Code
FLOP TO THE TOP! by Eleanor Davis Kirkus Star

FLOP TO THE TOP!

by Eleanor Davis & Drew Weing ; illustrated by Eleanor Davis & Drew Weing

Pub Date: Sept. 15th, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-935179-89-4
Publisher: TOON Books & Graphics

It’s a perfectly Wanda-ful day until one large, boneless dog upstages his owner.

Wanda is so busy posing for her imaginary fans, taking selfies with her unimpressed sister and brother, and watching Sassy Cat’s reality TV show that she completely forgets what’s important. Her search for fame seems to come true when one of her selfies goes viral. Soon the world is at her doorstep. Unfortunately for Wanda, it’s her photo partner, sad-eyed bulldog Wilbur (now called “Floppy Dog” by the press and fans), who has the spotlight. He is on Sassy Cat’s guest list and even joins her in a stretch limo for a night on the town. New readers will enjoy following the frantic yet likable Wanda as she chases Wilbur and fame at the same time. Muted colors and busy spreads force readers to slow down and find Wanda and Wilbur. There is Wanda chasing, and here is Wilbur dancing under a disco ball, relaxing in a hot tub, eating a T-bone steak, or cavorting on a yacht. Graphic elements are a big part of the fun in this latest addition to the TOON family, but the star is Wanda herself—a brown-skinned little girl with big dreams (and an even bigger exclamation point of a hairdo) who figures out what is really important in life.

The book is so much fun that both lessons—in reading and in life—go down easy.

(Graphic early reader. 4-8)