Flora and the Flamingo
Girl makes a feathered friend in whimsical, wordless outing.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Molly Idle's Caldecott Honor Book Flora and the Flamingo is a wonderful, wordless picture book that shows an encounter between a pear-shaped little girl and a stately flamingo. Suspicious of each other at first, the two get to know each other through imitation and dance, and the seemingly uptight bird learns from the free-spirited kid to let loose and try a hearty cannonball jump into the water. Interactive flaps help tell the story and underscore the two characters' evolving rapport, whimsically captured in author-illustrator Molly Idle's comic pink-and-white illustrations.
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What's the Story?
A little girl named Flora looks as if she's headed for the pool or beach in her pink one-piece swim suit, yelow bathing cap, and maroon flippers when she comes across a pink flamingo, whose poses she begins to imitate. Their silent communication is suspicious at first, then builds to a friendly rapport and a shared dance, in which their pink bodies (the bird clothed in pink feathers, Flora in a pink swim suit) move in united balletic grace, culminating in an exuberant shared plunge in the water.
Is It Any Good?
This is a fresh, clever, wordless, opposites-attract story in which a stately flamingo teaches a round-bellied little girl to pose and dance, and free-spirited Flora teaches the bird to lighten up. Interactive flaps add layers of emotion and communication to the tale, as the two characters with distinct personalities slowly get to know each other. It's pure fun with a mostly pink-and-white palette of spare comic images set against stark white pages.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about wordless stories. How does the author tell the story and move the action along by using only pictures? Have you read other wordless books you like?
How are Flora and the flamingo alike? How are they different?
Have you ever made a new freind at the beach or a pool? What did you do together without talking that helped you get to know the person?
Book Details
- Author: Molly Idle
- Illustrator: Molly Idle
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Arts and Dance, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Chronicle Books
- Publication date: March 5, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 6
- Number of pages: 44
- Available on: Hardback, Kindle
- Awards: ALA Best and Notable Books, Caldecott Medal and Honors
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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