A stunning graphic novel filled with gorgeous, whimsical illustrations about an imaginative girl and a bright pink feather that leads to a journey with a baby flamingo. A "perfect" ( Shelf Awareness) chapter book from the highly acclaimed creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, The Only Child. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Kirkus Reviews • School Library Journal • Shelf Awareness • Horn Book 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. This nearly wordless graphic novel begins in nostalgic sepia toned illustrations and explodes into riotous color as Lao Lao tells her granddaughter the story of a little girl who finds herself as the caretaker of a baby flamingo. The Flamingo is a tale of imagination, reunions, and connection that readers are sure to reach for again and again. Gr 3 Up-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 Lipinskiα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. ★ "[A] tender tale." — Kirkus Reviews , starred review ★ “Immaculately drawn and paced” — Publishers Weekly , starred review ★ "Guojing's brilliant, near-wordless picture book is a visual feast celebrating family and unlikely friends." — Shelf Awareness, starred review ★  “For readers who enjoy emotionally moving stories about family, love, and the power of imagination.”— School Library Journal , starred review ★ “Guojing’s expressive digital, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations have a timeless, cinematic quality…”— The Horn Book , starred review "A loving ode to intergenerational creativity." — The Bulletin Guojing is a renowned artist celebrated for her picture books, including Stormy and The Only Child. Here she turns her visual storytelling talent to the graphic novel format with multiple panels per page and a compelling story that will appeal to readers who are ready for the next step after picture books.