Super Doople, written and illustrated by K.A. Cummins, is a book perfect for preschoolers to second-graders. The story’s setting has inhabitants that are walking and talking eggs. Cummins adds humor and whimsy as she makes their home very much like our world, complete with a school, bakery, and citizens that are men and women of various ages, including a baby with a binky and teddy bear. She captures the eggs’ facial expressions amazingly well. Even a yellow bird, a minute character, adds personality to the story with his facial and body language.

The story introduces us to Little Doople, a boy egg who dreams of flying. The tale’s silly mood is set as he plucks feathers from the yellow bird. The bird bugs his eyes out and opens his beak like he’s squawking, then he scowls at the boy egg. In another illustration, he sits in the same tree as Little Doople, and I love how he narrows his eyes and waves his wing like he’s reprimanding the young egg for being up so high. But the bird and Little Doople are friends (or at least become friends), as you see pictures of him sticking alongside the boy egg.

The other eggs warn Little Doople he would fall like Humpty Dumpty, but he refuses to give up on his dream. He climbs a tree, then the wind kicks up and a branch catapults him. I find it clever that instead of falling off a wall, he crashes into a wall. The pictures nicely show the bleakness of his situation without gruesome details. They show him as all egg white and yolk after his crash—only his eyes, mouth, and brows remain in the yolk. One illustration has tears on his yolk face as he cries for help.

A scientist egg comes to the rescue and puts him back together. It may seem like a deus ex machina to have the scientist step in like this, but considering how helpless Little Doople was in his shell-less form, somebody else would have needed to mend him anyways. The scientist fixes him, but an accident happens and twists the plot. The young egg obtains the superpower of flying and becomes Super Doople. This may be another deus ex machina, but if the accident didn’t happen, would he have become Super Doople?

The book ends with great discussion questions. One is an important question about whether Little Doople learned to listen. The book offers clues for the answer. The scientist and doctor give him permission to try flying. Instead of climbing anything tall, he runs across the ground before taking off. Citizens spectate and cheer him on. The yellow bird, a faithful friend, soars alongside him.

I recommend picking up a copy of this book and having another discussion question with your child. Ask them what they think would happen if the accident didn’t occur and Little Doople didn’t get his powers. Would he have learned to not only listen to his elders but be content with his flightless self and maybe discover a new dream to pursue? Or even find a healthier way to chase his desire to fly without disregarding others’ advice? This would be a great opportunity to spend quality time together and go deeper into the story.

Click to tweet: Friday Fiction: Super Doople, written and illustrated by K.A. Cummins, is a book perfect for preschoolers to second-graders. #kidsbooks #FridayReads