Flora and the Flamingo: 11/29/15

Before I started on my review of Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle, I stopped to look up the popularity of the name Flora. It seems that Flora is becoming a popular name for protagonists in children's fiction. I was curious to see if that rise in popularity reflected a return of popularity of the name. In the United States, it doesn't, though it's in the top 1000 in Scotland and Quebec and the top 100 in Hungary per the Baby Name Wizard site. I suppose, then, Flora is the new Harriet, a name that in fiction sounds cool but isn't currently on most people's radar.

The other reason I was curious is that one of my grandmothers was named Flora, though most everyone called her Flossie. Within her lifetime and the decade and a half since her death, I can't recall running across any other Floras either as people or as characters. Until now.

OK — so back to Flora and the Flamingo. I think it should probably be called Flamingo and Flora since clearly the flamingo is the main character. Here is a flamingo who loves to do something that's a cross between ballet and yoga.

And then there's flora who is completely enraptured by the flamingo as demonstrated by her pink leotard, pink tights, and pink flippers. For every pose that the flamingo takes, with an unfolding of a page, we can see Flora doing her best to imitate the flamingo.

The first few poses show the flamingo rather frustrated with Flora. There's a squint to her eye and a maybe a frown in that beak. But slowly but surely the flamingo begins to warm to Flora's enthusiasm.

There are two others Flora and the Penguin (2014) and Flora and the Peacock (2016).

Five stars

Comments (0)