Flora and the Flamingo

By Molly Idle

In Flora and the Flamingo, author and illustrator Molly Idle tells the story of a young girl who would love nothing more than to dance like the beautiful flamingo with whom she shares a pond. At first, the girl emulates the flamingo in secret, until a wobbly fall gives her away. As the young dancer and her new flamingo friend begin to dance together, they learn about friendship, teamwork, and how much more fun it can be to share a dance with a partner.

Flora and the Flamingo is an exquisite wordless tale that was named a Caldecott Honor book in 2014 for its beautiful illustrations and remarkable storytelling. Recommended for children who enjoy birds, dancing, and all things pink, this book is sure to bring laughter and imagination to your child’s day.

Journey

By Aaron Becker

Would you like to get away without leaving your front door? Is your child eager for adventure within the pages of his or her bedtime story? If so, look no further than Journey by Aaron Becker, a 2014 Caldecott Honor Book about imagination, friendship, freedom, and adventure. 

Our story begins with a young girl who feels bored and lonely cooped up in her house. She’s sitting on her bed when she sees a red marker lying on her bedroom floor. With this marker, she draws a magic door to another realm, and her adventure takes off. The girl uses the red marker to travel through air, space, and time until she meets up with an imprisoned purple bird and decides she must set it free. As our heroine works to help the bird, she meets up with an unexpected friend, and they begin a brand new journey with their feathered friend through the magic kingdom together.

This story is a must-read for any child with an active imagination and a love of telling stories. Journey is completely wordless, which allows children to narrate the story themselves and decide what they think the pictures mean. Check out Journey for beautiful, easy-to-understand illustrations, a unique story time experience, and a powerful message about how imagination can take us anywhere in the world we’d like to go.