THE FLOPS

From France, an introduction to the amorphous species Flopus classicus and some of its blobby relatives.

Much of the fun here is in the wordplay, and Durand and Klinger plainly had a ball converting Durand’s original French text (2015) into English. It’s arranged as a series of labeled thematic views, vignettes, and galleries done in cartoon styles ranging from rough-looking sketches to daffy blends of paint and photography. Durand presents an array of invented folk—most of whom resemble chubby beans with four stubby limbs and googly eyes. Flops, it seems, come in diverse types (“Fat-Nosed Flop,” “Zombie Flop,” “Dumb Flop,” “Really Dumb Flop”) and temperaments (from “Flippant” to “Unflappable”). They live in subterranean “Flop Houses,” will sometimes say silly things like “BUBBA LUPA” (or even “Tidy your room!”), and if kept as pets will overeat until they can no longer…flip. Along with answering such pressing questions as whether Flops talk out of their bottoms (“Usually not”), this comprehensive guide offers ways to distinguish Flops from their cousins Flumps and Tuffs, not to mention non-Flops like cats and yetis, plus savvy guidelines for proper care and feeding.

Fans of counterfactual flights will flip for this flamboyant fancy.