Flamingos Are Pretty Funky: A (Not So) Serious Guide

by Abi Cushman, Abi Cushman (Illustrator)

Overview

Flamingos Are Pretty Funky introduces young readers to flamingos and their fantastic and (truly) fabulous traits. A companion to Wombats Are Pretty Weird, this funny, reader-friendly narrative nonfiction picture book about the natural world features sidebars, comic panels, and extensive back matter.

Flamingos are tall, wading birds known for their bright pink color. Their nests look like tiny volcanoes, and they live in areas that are considered extreme—from nearly boiling bodies of water filled with corrosive chemicals to cold, mountainous regions where ice freezes around their feet. And if you ask their snake friend, Joey, those aren’t the only things that are fabulous about flamingos!

Abi Cushman’s Flamingos Are Pretty Funky contains informative, expressive, and funny illustrations of flamingos in their natural habitats. This enlightening picture book offers an entertaining blend of narration, sidebars, speech balloons, and dialogue and is a refreshing departure from traditional nonfiction. Flamingos Are Pretty Funky serves up a child-friendly guide to the fun and fancy world of flamingos and the mystery, beauty, and science of the natural world.

Back matter includes additional information about flamingos and their habitats.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063234444
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Series:	A (Not So) Serious Guide
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	274,378
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Abi Cushman made her picture book debut with Soaked!, a Kids’ Indie Next List Top 10 pick. She has worked as a web designer and runs two popular websites of her own: My House Rabbit, a pet rabbit care site, and Animal Fact Guide, which was named a “Great Website for Kids” by the American Library Association. She is also the author of Wombats Are Pretty Weird and lives with her family in Niantic, Connecticut.

Abi Cushman made her picture book debut with Soaked!, a Kids’ Indie Next List Top 10 pick. She has worked as a web designer and runs two popular websites of her own: My House Rabbit, a pet rabbit care site, and Animal Fact Guide, which was named a “Great Website for Kids” by the American Library Association. She is also the author of Wombats Are Pretty Weird and lives with her family in Niantic, Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Cushman's introduction to these tall pink wading birds delivers abundant information with a smile. . . . Bright, child-friendly artwork details these birds in a variety of poses and settings. . . . Factual text appears on spreads, sidebars, and diagrams, while snarky commentary emerges in speech bubbles. . . . Cushman has a good handle on what facts will interest her readers. . . . This should suit report writers and browsers alike.” — Booklist

“Funky is the word for this humorous guide to flamingos of all sorts. . . . A useful introduction that will entertain readers as it shares fascinating facts about these colorful birds, and a helpful addition to units on birds or animal adaptations” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/01/2024

PreS-Gr 3—Funky is the word for this humorous guide to flamingos of all sorts. Facts and descriptions appear in the body of the text while the birds (and a snake) in the illustrations make humorous remarks in speech bubbles. For instance, when the various species are introduced, the Lesser Flamingo opines, "I think we can come up with a better name." And when the text explains that flamingos can live in locations with corrosive chemicals in the water, one of the birds asks, "Beautiful view, toxic water, all the algae you can eat … what more could you ask for?" A map showing locations for each species, a spread with all six birds side by side for easy comparison of size, and diagrams showing the "unique beaks" and surprising structure of flamingo legs offer additional details. Their snaky friend looks at the beak diagram and quips, "Wow! You really know how to turn that frown upside down!" Side bars offer information on the carotenoids that give flamingos their color and on the growth of flamingo chicks. Back matter offers a photo of each species, along with their common and scientific names, height, weight, and conservation status. A glossary and suggestions for further reading are also included. VERDICT A useful introduction that will entertain readers as it shares fascinating facts about these colorful birds, and a helpful addition to units on birds or animal adaptations.—Suzanne Costner

School Library Journal