Flora and the Flamingo: By Molly Idle

        Flora and the Flamingo, by Molly Idle, tells a story of the unlikely friendship between a young girl and a balletic flamingo. The story begins as you open to the cover page and see the flamingo land gracefully on one foot. As you progress, Flora, a small girl in a swimsuit joins the story mimicking the unsuspecting bird's flowing moves. As the reader dives deeper into the book the characters seem to truly dance because of lift-the-flap style pictures that cleverly bring the emotions and ballet of Flora and her flamingo to life right before the reader's eyes. We see Flora on the first flapped page, just across the books seam, mimicking the one legged perch of the pink bird. As the pages turn she inches closer, dancing across the book's seam until her motions fall right inline with the flamingo who turns and gives Flora a bit of attitude, sending her across the book as far as she possibly can go. We see the friends apologize and then float together and begin to dance perfectly in-sync as partners in a graceful ballet. Dancing across the pages as partners, the friendship between Flora and the flamingo builds and the images convey perfect ballet motion. At the end of the dance the two leap together, with giant smiles, into the water as we open the culminating gatefold page. They then rise and bow politely concluding both the ballet and the story.
         Giving us all a lesson is unique book design, Molly Idle's use of lift-the-flap style animate the ballet telling the story effortlessly, without using a single written word. A Caldecott Honor Book, the use of almost completely white pages, outlines with simple pink blossoms perfectly guide your attention to the dance of Flora and the flamingo, who despite their mimicking ballet moves, physically have very little resemblance. The flamingo is tall, lanky and knock-kneed, while Flora is short, rounded, and wearing giant brown flippers. This book allows the opportunity reader to create an internal thought dialogue about what both the flamingo and Flora may be thinking as they go from strangers, to ballet partners, to friends. This fun ballet style wordless picture book helps us to remember the simplistic joy that comes from children's picture books, and as an adult reader challenges us to see the value of books beyond just written text.

Picture Source: http://www.snaphappymom.com/flora-flamingo/