About the Book

Book: Super Doople

Author:K.A. Cummins

Genre:Picture Book

Release date: May 4, 2023

You’ve heard the legend of Humpty Dumpty, but do you know the legend of Super Doople? He’s faster

than a chicken. He flies higher than an ostrich. No fall can break his shell! And he was once Little Doople, a small and fragile egg like all the other dooples, until his bad habit of not listening caught up to him.

Engaging text with expressive illustrations, Super Doople is a lighthearted tale about resilience and learning to listen. This funny picture book for ages 3-8 is perfect for reading aloud in the classroom or at home.

Click here to get your copy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of author’s opinions.

Author Interview

1. Why did you want to become an author?
It’s really about creating something to share and connect with others. I started out with art and poetry as a kid, and held tight to that focus until college. Art and poetry shifted to being hobbies during that time, as I discovered something beautifully abstract within the realms of math and science. It wasn’t until the end of college that I started writing story ideas.
2. What step of writing this book was the most challenging and why?
The illustrations. Even though this story went through several iterations of drafting and editing, the illustrations were still the most labor intensive. The best picture books rely on both words and artwork to tell the story. So the artwork needs to add details the words don’t, and visual variety to the page layouts and scenes to keep children engaged.
3. What/Who inspired you to write on the main themes found in the book?
“All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.” —Humpty Dumpty

This line always struck me as curious. Illustrations commonly portray Humpty Dumpty as an egg and eggs can be hard-boiled, so why couldn’t they put Humpty together again? As a Marvel fan, I started imagining Humpty in his own superhero origin story. Except instead of falling into a vat of radioactive material, he soaked in a tub of hot water.

Then, thinking of an egg boiling reminded me of an analogy from a sermon. If you boil a potato, it softens. If you boil an egg, it hardens. The difference is how each reacts to their circumstances. Hardships are like being put in boiling water. We can either let hardships make us better or bitter. I’m oversimplifying and likely leaving something out, but that was the main point. And that shaped the idea of a hard-boiled hero into a story about resilience, and listening to others.

9. How did you celebrate when you completed your book?
I should celebrate after finishing a book. Completing a book is hard work, if you want to do it well. But I never feel like I’m finished, even after a story goes out into the world. Maybe it’s because there’s always room for improvement. Or maybe it’s because finishing a story only feels as if one part of the journey has ended. In my heart, the characters live on and their stories continue. We just all move on to the next part of our journeys.
11. What message do you hope readers take away from your book?
Super Doople is a story about resilience and learning to listen, about not giving up on your dreams when things don’t work out. But more than that, I hope readers see the importance of community and have a sense of the love and joy that went into creating this story.

About the Author

K.A. Cummins is an author and an artist. She explores storytelling in a variety of mediums, blending the wonders of science with the possibilities of what if. When not crafting stories, Cummins loves spending time with her family, collecting fun socks, and venturing outside her comfort zone to try new things—at least once!

Connect with her through her website at https://authorkacummins.com, where you can sign up for emails about upcoming releases.

More from K.A. Cummins

“Super Doople” started with a comic sketch and the idea of what if a scientist put Humpty Dumpty back together again? At first, it was more for fun and to explore creating comics. In fact, in the first version, he bounced like a ball when he hit the ground.

But the idea stuck! I continued to gravitate back to it, enjoying the exploration of telling a story with words and drawings. Many sketches and several versions later, the character became Little Doople, a hopeful and determined boy with a dream of flying who, through a series of events, transforms into Super Doople.

It’s been so much fun working with Little Doople, especially having our youngest son engaged with the story. Our youngest is sixteen now and has a talented eye for design. He’s one of the first people I ask for art critiques (the other being my husband). He even helped me come up with the name doople, for both the character and the egg-people in the story. We brainstormed in the car on a two-hour drive home.

The joy of creating this story, and from the story itself, has become its own source of inspiration. I haven’t stopped brainstorming more story ideas for Little Doople. I’ve even started plotting some of them, but those are under wraps for now.

However, being a homeschool mom and former educator in other forms, I wanted to share a free educational resource to go along with “Super Doople.” So I’ve put together a few science egg-periments, activities, and coloring pages suitable for younger children that’s available for FREE on my TpT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doople-Science-Hands-on-Learning-Activities-9145443.

Hope you and your children enjoy reading “Super Doople.”