Review by Booklist Review
Flora returns to dance with new feathered friends in her third story. Here the birds are peacocks, which gives Idle an opportunity for some impressive spreads (literally) of peacock feathers. The book begins with Flora, holding a yellow-flowered fan, coming upon two peacocks, their plumed tails also in fan position. But when Flora seems to be favoring one peacock, the other folds up. Ditto when she turns her attention to the neglected one. Children will feel the tension as the two birds eye each other with jealousy. When jealousy turns to anger, Flora's fan becomes collateral damage. It takes the tattered fan and a teary Flora to make the peacocks forget their pride. A surprising unfolding flap roughly the size of four pages reveals a smiling Flora surrounded by the peacock's feathers. With lime green and navy blue as the dominant colors, this book shows the same artful design and ability to find nuance in wordlessness as the previous titles, the Caldecott Honor Book Flora and the Flamingo (2013) and Flora and the Penguin (2014).--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Flora dances on in her elegant third picture book, following the Caldecott Honor-winning Flora and the Flamingo and its sequel, Flora and the Penguin. Working in a green-and-turquoise color scheme, Idle wordlessly traces Flora's encounter with two peacocks, whose outstretched tails echo the semicircular shape of the fan Flora holds as she dances. One peacock takes to Flora and the other feels left out; glued-in flaps help move the story forward while amplifying the emotional tug-of-war. One broken fan later, a massive foldout brings the story to a moving finale in which kindness and compromise win the day. Ages 3-5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-The star of two previous showstoppers, Flora returns in another inventive, deceptively simple title. Here, Flora meets not one but two birds-a pair of peacocks who inspire dancing, drama, and, finally, reconciliation and friendship. Both vibrant and spare, Idle's artwork once again dazzles as it tells a layered story without a single word. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Idles third wordless picture book starring Flora (Flora and the Flamingo, rev. 7/13; Flora and the Penguin, rev. 11/14) is, appropriately, about a three-way friendship and the tricky dynamics thereof. Flora curtsies hello to a pair of peacocks. One of them seems taken with her -- it crosses the gutter to join her on the left-hand page -- the other, scowling, is not so sure (it remains on the right, tail firmly turned to viewers). When diplomat Flora approaches the scowler, the first peacock becomes jealous. An angry tug-of-war of Floras decorative fan but also of her affections -- ensues, leading to a broken fan and hurt feelings. Luckily, the peacocks get a clue, and their resplendent show (of tail feathers) cheers everyone right up. The rhythm of this Flora book is like the other two -- girl approaches bird, bird spurns friendship, girl gets upset, bird makes amends, plus theres dancing -- but the addition of that third character adds a storytelling layer. Idle once again sticks to a limited color palette, this time peacock blues, greens, and yellows, with the flowers in Floras hair a sweet nod to her previous headwear. And if not every flap in the book is as inventive as weve come to expect, that last, glorious one is a showstopper. elissa gershowitz (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
While Idle's previous titles (Flora and the Flamingo, 2013, etc.) feature her young, white dancer with a single avian partner, this story presents a pas de trois. The challenge, therefore, is how to manage balance: on the stage, across a double-page spread, among friends. The choreography creates the narrative in this wordless performance, with opportunities for audience participation via flaps. In the opening scene, a fan-wielding Flora poses alone; the peacocks are paired. Wispy willow branches form a proscenium arch atop the extravagant white backdrop. The dancers are arrayed in coordinated teal and green splendor with yellow highlights. When one bird crosses the gutter, a dance ensues on the verso, a drama on the recto. The birds' parallel symmetry is now inverted: the partners reach up, the lone peacock disdainfully displays downward. As Flora plants a foot on each page, readers decide whether to make tails match or contrast. They are also the agents for a tug of war over the fan. Idle's nuanced postures and expressions capture the peacocks' wounded pride perfectly. When the fragile prop breaks in a climactic close-up, the despondent protagonist stalks off the page. The birds find a solution, and a glorious gatefold, measuring 18 by 33 inches, puts a joyful Flora at the center of a dazzling and harmonious display. Design, engineering, and art intersect to deliver a virtuoso interpretation of the pitfalls and pleasures of triads. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
