Topsy-Turvy is a story about the turmoil created in the animal world after some kittens decide to oink like piglets because they are tired of meowing and a few ducklings refuse to quack and begin to ribbit instead. Following these examples all animals decide to do whatever they want, even if this hurts others, like the fox kits who set the blue sea on fire, and even when they don't know how to do what they want, like the crocodile who considers himself a fireman and tries to put out this fire with pies and dry mushrooms. The moral of the story is that a whim is not the best guide for conduct. Its purpose is to encourage children to act responsibly, taking the good of others into consideration, and to form their identities on the basis of self-examination and self-knowledge, rather than imitation and following fads and fashions.