Written and illustrated by Lori Doody
Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides
978-1-927917213
44 pp.
Ages 3-8
July 2019
Lori Doody is very good about bringing stories from Newfoundland to the bright illustrations of her picture books. In The Puffin Problem (2017), Capelin Weather (2017) and Mallard, Mallard, Moose (2018), she takes odd kernels of truth and germinates them into radiant stories of importance. She does the same in Paint the Town Pink by taking the true story of an accidental flamingo and creates a book about finding one's tribe and acceptance.
So begins the tale of Rose, the flamingo, who arrives in town and tickles the locals into thinking and living pink.
As she searches for a flock of her own, among pink-dressed bridesmaids at the Colonial Building, flamenco dancers, pink poodles, yoga enthusiasts and "a funny bunch of small flamingos who liked to visit a new lawn every day," the town begins to transform. The vehicles become pink, there is a rise in pink foods like ice cream, lemonade, macarons and cotton candy, and everyone starts wearing pink clothing. They even start painting their buildings because "Everyone did their best to make her feel like she belonged." Rose had found her new home.
There really have been pink flamingos that have flown off-course and ended up in Newfoundland, though their tales are not as inspired as Rose's in Paint the Town Pink. But Lori Doody's story is not really about them. It is instead a story about being a stranger in a strange place and finding a way to make it home but only with the assistance of those who have come before. I know Rose is a flamingo but her story is a universal one of being out of place, feeling isolated, looking for commonalities, and finding acceptance from those who make an effort to embrace diversity as important.
It's lovely that Lori Doody's story is based on the flamingo and the colour pink. To be "in the pink" or "tickled pink" or having things "coming up roses" are all positive sentiments and the tints and shades with which she paints the town are similarly cheerful. Against a blue-grey sky, the streetscapes are bright and lively. Though Lori Doody's illustrations are generally uncomplicated in their design, they hold details that will delight. From the many cats in the windows and playing with yarn, to the names of businesses and music albums that highlight the colour pink, there is so much to observe and consider. Moreover, with her folk art approach to her illustrations, Lori Doody firmly plants Rose and her readers into a Newfoundland of colour and vivacity. It's no wonder that, with a town invigorated with pink from inside and out, Rose would find it a welcoming place.
Once, on a particularly windy day,
a stranger arrived in town.
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| From Paint the Town Pink by Lori Doody |
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| From Paint the Town Pink by Lori Doody |
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| From Paint the Town Pink by Lori Doody |
It's lovely that Lori Doody's story is based on the flamingo and the colour pink. To be "in the pink" or "tickled pink" or having things "coming up roses" are all positive sentiments and the tints and shades with which she paints the town are similarly cheerful. Against a blue-grey sky, the streetscapes are bright and lively. Though Lori Doody's illustrations are generally uncomplicated in their design, they hold details that will delight. From the many cats in the windows and playing with yarn, to the names of businesses and music albums that highlight the colour pink, there is so much to observe and consider. Moreover, with her folk art approach to her illustrations, Lori Doody firmly plants Rose and her readers into a Newfoundland of colour and vivacity. It's no wonder that, with a town invigorated with pink from inside and out, Rose would find it a welcoming place.
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| From Paint the Town Pink by Lori Doody |
What a clever little book. I love the whole idea.
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