Description

A little girl arrives, excited for a beachy vacation with her Lao Lao. The girl and her grandmother search for shells, chase crabs, and play in the sea, but when the girl finds an exquisite flamingo feather in her grandmother’s living room, her vacation turns into something fantastical.

Published September  2022, pub. Random House Studio.

Reviews:

★The Horn Book, November/December issue

In this moving, mostly wordless graphic novel, a young girl of Chinese descent visits her grandmother on her own; the bond between the two deepens through their shared joy in storytelling and in observing nature. Central to the story is a flamingo, a wild rescue bird that Lao Lao (the grandmother) had saved and raised years ago when she was little. Guojing’s expressive digital, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations have a timeless, cinematic quality, switching back and forth between the grandmother’s bright, tropical childhood awash in shades of yellow, pink, and blue and the gray-hued present. This contrast becomes even greater when the granddaughter flies home (via a flamingo-pink airplane) to her family’s lonely apartment in an imposing skyscraper-filled metropolis. A fantastical appearance by the titular character toward the end brings this gentle tale of family love—spanning time, distance, and generations—to a satisfying, heartwarming close. With its unfussy art and few words, the story leaves room for viewers’ interpretation; what’s never in question is the love between Lao Lao and her granddaughter. MICHELLE LEE

★School Library Journal, November 2022 issue

A girl goes to visit her grandmother, who lives in a house near the beach. She finds a pink feather at Lao Lao’s house that sparks her curiosity. The book gently transitions between the real and the imaginary, as Lao Lao tells her a story about a girl who found an egg at the beach. Lao Lao tells her story a little at a time, gradually revealing that a tiny white chick hatched out of the egg, and that the chick grew up into a pink flamingo, which eventually flew away. When the girl returns home, she’s inspired to write her own conclusion to the story, which (be forewarned) might make more sensitive readers cry. This book is mostly wordless, which will give readers more time to focus on the ethereal, and often breathtaking, artwork. The palette changes as the story moves from the real world into the fictional and back again. The real world is beautiful, but has only a few colors, while the fictional world uses many colors to great effect, like Isabelle Arsenault’s artwork in Fanny Britt’s Jane, the Fox & Me. The cover illustration of a flamingo with outstretched wings on a fire escape will probably get the most attention, but some of the interior artwork—the image of the girl, her dog, and the chick watching a sunset together—is equally astonishing. VERDICT For readers who enjoy emotionally moving stories about family, love, and the power of imagination.
–Andrea Lipinski

★Shelf Awareness, September 30, 2022

Few books deserve the “perfect” designation, but The Flamingo by Guojing arguably earns that appellation. The celebrated author of The Only Child and Stormy presents another remarkable, near-wordless story that gloriously commemorates bonds between humans and animals.

A girl in a red hat arrives at a sepia-toned airport and is claimed by her grandmother, dressed in matching red. At her Lao Lao’s home, the girl is fascinated by a feather with a reddish tip. Lao Lao’s story about a childhood bike ride with her pup turns the pages vivid as she finds a lone egg washed up on shore. During granddaughter and Lao Lao’s idyllic visit, Lao Lao reveals how the egg hatches into a fluffy flamingo friend… who eventually must fly away. Part two echoes that bittersweet parting even though Lao Lao entrusts the precious feather to her granddaughter. Back at home, the girl devises a creative way to summon the cherished flamingo and reconnect with her grandmother.

Guojing, who was born in China and lives in Canada, is familiar with the joys of multi-generational homecoming and the challenges of eventual parting. Her touching dedication encapsulates her own experience: to her mother “who said I’m her flamingo,” to her son “who arrived when I completed this book” and to her “grandma in heaven, who gave me the happiest childhood.” Guojing exquisitely adapts the cycle of belonging-parting-reuniting by highlighting the bendable but unbreakable attachments between devoted beings, human and not. Exceptionally noteworthy are her characters’ expressions, especially those of delight, discovery and love. Every page of Guojing’s art is a splendid visual feast, ensuring readers a soaring, spectacular flight of fancy and imagination. –Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

**Note: Shelf Awareness gave THE FLAMINGO  a star in their Reader Newsletter on 9/30. The original review shared with the division was from Shelf Awareness’ Shelf Pro newsletter from 8/3. The industry-facing Pro newsletter does not give stars, so that’s why the star came when the review ran in the consumer-facing newsletter.

★ Publishers Weekly, July 15, 2022

Immaculately drawn and paced, this largely wordless intergenerational portrait tells a double story about sturdy bonds across time and space. Panels in shades of charcoal gray and desaturated red capture the reunion of a young grandchild flying alone to visit their enthusiastically waving Lao Lao, who cues as Chinese. Asked about a pink feather found in a flamingo-shaped cup, Lao Lao spins a tale—told in kaleidoscopic full-color art—about a kid who finds an egg at the beach, takes it home, and finds themself the caretaker of a baby flamingo. Guojing (Stormy) represents the growing flamingo’s changing body with marvelous care, and vibrant sequences in which the bird, the child, and a terrier grow closer provide moments of sheer delight, as in images of the young flamingo sitting stuffed in a pocket and perched on the child’s head. Soon, though, it’s time for both children to say goodbye—to the flamingo and to Lao Lao, too—transitions attended by soaring moments, and followed by a lovely art-centered coda. The parallels between human love and migrating birds are unmistakable in this elegant parable of faithful return. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)

 ★ Kirkus Reviews, August 17, 2022

A child’s visit to their grandmother creates lasting stories.

At Lao Lao’s coastal home, flamingo motifs are everywhere. The child asks Lao Lao about a feather in a flamingo-shaped cup, and as the scene shifts, we see a girl walking along a beach and discovering an egg, out of which a flamingo chick eventually hatches. In between kite flying, bao steaming, and their own coastal walk, Lao Lao shares her story with her grandchild. Friendship between the flamingo and the girl grows, but the time comes for goodbyes. The flamingo flies away, and the girl hopes for the bird’s return. Just as Lao Lao’s story concludes, a flock of flamingos serendipitously fills the sky. Grandmother and grandchild must part, too. Back at home, feather in hand, the child begins to write their own story, and their imagination takes flight. Guojing’s tender tale uses the migration of birds to explore how family bonds endure despite separation and the passage of time. The spare text in this mostly wordless tale is well placed. Rendered in Photoshop, watercolor, and colored pencil, the illustrations depict expressive faces and dynamic perspectives, beautifully capturing the joy of a hug, the wonder of visiting new places, the sadness of saying goodbye, and the hope of reuniting. The use of color is inspired; muted illustrations with pops of reddish pink depict the present, while both Lao Lao’s and the child’s stories are portrayed in vibrant hues. Use of the term Lao Lao cues the characters as Chinese, though locations aren’t specified.

This tale soars. (Graphic fiction. 5-9)

Shelf Awareness, August 3, 2022

Few books deserve the “perfect” designation, but The Flamingo by Guojing arguably earns that appellation. The celebrated author of The Only Child and Stormy presents another remarkable, near-wordless story for young readers that gloriously commemorates bonds between humans and animals, enhanced here with the heartwarming relationship between a child and her grandmother.

Part one opens with “A Trip to Visit Lao Lao All on My Own.” A girl in a red hat, wearing a red backpack and pulling a red suitcase, arrives at the sepia-toned airport and is claimed by her maternal grandmother, also dressed in matching red. At her grandmother’s home (with a red door), the girl is fascinated by a flamingo-shaped mug in which sits a single feather with a reddish tip. In the first of a mere eight panels that contain text, the girl asks, “Can you tell me about the feather?”

Lao Lao’s story turns the pages vivid as she shares a memory of a childhood bike ride with her pup along the beach and finding a lone egg washed up on shore. During granddaughter and Lao Lao’s idyllic visit, in between delicious meals, flying kites, exploring and cuddling, Lao Lao reveals how the egg hatches into a fluffy flamingo friend… who eventually must fly away.

Part two echoes that bittersweet parting–“My Turn to Fly Home”–but not before Lao Lao entrusts the precious feather to her granddaughter’s open hands. Back at home, the girl, who seems alone despite a city filled with people, devises a brilliant, gorgeous, creative way to summon the cherished flamingo and reconnect with her beloved grandmother.

Guojing, who was born in China and lives in Canada, is familiar with the joys of multi-generational homecoming and the challenges of eventual, often necessary, parting. Her touching dedication poignantly encapsulates her own growing up-and-away experience: to her mother “who said I’m her flamingo,” to her son “who arrived when I completed this book” and to her “grandma in heaven, who gave me the happiest childhood.” Guojing exquisitely adapts that cycle of belonging-parting-reuniting by highlighting the bendable but unbreakable attachments between devoted beings, human and not. Exceptionally noteworthy are her characters’ expressions, especially those of delight, discovery and love. Every page of Guojing’s art is a splendid visual feast–including her whimsical insertions of flamingo motifs (even the steamed buns!) throughout–ensuring readers a soaring, spectacular flight of fancy and imagination. –Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

Shelf Talker: Guojing’s brilliant, near-wordless picture book is a visual feast celebrating family and unlikely friends.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, September 2022 issue

On our narrator’s first solo trip to see Lao Lao, the girl finds a pink feather in a flamingo cup among Lao Lao’s knickknacks. When asked about its significance, the grandmother weaves a fantastical tale of a young girl who finds an egg washed up on the seaside and cares for it, from its hatching into a flamingo through the bird’s young life until it flies off as an adult. The story’s veracity might be questionable, but Lao Lao’s joy at sharing it and our narrator’s delight in hearing it are clear, and the tale ultimately sustains the young girl when she returns home. Drawing from her time with Lao Lao and her own dreams, our protagonist lovingly creates a book of the bird’s adventures and sends it off to her grandmother. The illustrations effortlessly carry the emotional weight of this graphic novel, while the scant text—just a few questions asked and answered—brings a quiet structure. The parallels between the girl’s experiences and her grandmother’s story bring a poignant clarity, while shifting palettes place the scenes in reality or fantasy. Story scenes are rich with saturated color and fluid movement, contrasting with softer tones and angled figures in reality. The flamingo’s transformation from teeny fuzzball to majestic flier offers a solid anchor to the various vignettes of the girl and grandmother’s shared time. A loving ode to intergenerational creativity, this would make a whimsical step up from Minh Lê’s Drawn Together (BCCB 06/18) or Ferneyhough’s Nana, Nenek & Nina (BCCB 07/22).  KQG