This Book Is Upside Down

Product Description


Penelope Giraffe and Gus Penguin are at home on two different sides of the same world. When something looks upside down to Penelope, it looks right-side up to Gus! As they explore their opposite points of view, will the twosome ever see eye-to-eye? This side-splitting, one-of-kind story will have you standing on your head…which wouldn’t look silly to Gus at all.


Review


A giraffe and a penguin are of very different opinions about which of them is actually upside down. Penelope the giraffe observes that everything about the book she is trying to read is upside down. Gus, the penguin, who is also upside down on the opposite page, insists that it is not the book but rather Penelope who is upside down. The debate continues on each spread until the middle spread, at which point both characters are upside down. From there, the book becomes slightly more challenging to follow, but the humor deftly continues until the last page, although the debate of who is actually upside down is never truly resolved. Vibrant, full-bleed digital illustrations humorously depict each of the cartoon-like characters on their respective pages.
VERDICT Young readers will have a riotously good time trying to follow along with these silly characters, and more sophisticated readers will enjoy a few additional nods and winks as well. Recommended.--Jessica Marie "School Library Journal" (2/20/2020 12:00:00 AM)

If it all depends on one's point of view, who's to say that Penelope Giraffe is right side up and her friend Gus Penguin is upside down? Penelope, portrayed right side up on the verso's "floor," might be holding her book upside down, but Gus, situated upside down on the recto's "ceiling," isn't so sure. The book isn't upside down, he thinks--Penelope is. The two banter back and forth in text that continues the directional confusion. Penelope gamely attempts to verify Gus's hypothesis, performing an impressively gawky looping jump that lands her in Gus's vantage point; Gus pours tea and consults with a local lobster.
The characters' breezy cool (despite their tangling with gravity, neither ever loses their temper), Wage's (Fox Gives Thanks) repartee, and Ceccarelli's (If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon) painterly digital portraits, showcased against lots of white space, establish a comedy sketch feel early on and deliver on it. The only question is whether readers will be charmed or annoyed by continually turning the book this way and that to regain their equilibrium. Ages 4-8.-- "Publishers Weekly" (2/20/2020 12:00:00 AM)


About the Author


Simona Ceccarelli, a medical research scientist turned children's illustrator, has been published by Scholastic, Sterling Children's Books, Thienemann-Esslinger, PI Kids, Rizzoli/Mondadori, Rubicon and Spinmaster