Flora and the Flamingo (Flora and Her Feathered Friends-books)

“Flora and the Flamingo is a visual masterpiece of storytelling that teaches children the concepts of hard work, forgiveness, and friendship.”

Flora and the Flamingo is a unique story with characters who do not speak with words, but with movement.

Flora and the Flamingo begin a dance together. The Flamingo supervises Flora’s every movement, making sure she gets it right. The one time she doesn’t, Flora gets sad and gives up, but with the encouragement of the Flamingo, she learns from her mistakes and is able to dance with the Flamingo in a way she never thought possible.

The vibrant pink illustrations by the author are lyrical, conveying rhythm and movement. Ms. Idle creates this wordless world as if the reader were sitting in the front row of a ballet watching the characters’ story unfold.

Children will enjoy flipping pages as they begin to see the learning of each movement and how the pair is accepting of each other’s abilities and a friendship begins to form.

A quibble is the use of space on each of the pages. There is so much open space the reader is expecting words to go along with the amazing illustrations. Some children will be disappointed when there’s not; however, used as an opportunity for discussion, the reader could perhaps actually fill the space with additional details or perhaps their own story.

Flora and the Flamingo is a visual masterpiece of storytelling that teaches children the concepts of hard work, forgiveness, and friendship. While it is true with most ballets, the youngest children won’t necessarily pick up on the display of emotions vibrating through the characters, but they will, by book’s end, have experienced the amalgamation of many journeys taken by the characters.

Overall, those who love and appreciate the world of dance will enjoy this gorgeously illustrated 44-page picture book.