Bibi

Flamingo matriarch Bibi, who’s “older than anyone knew,” is both the leader of her flock and its repository of wisdom. When summer comes and parches the lake, adult flamingoes can fly to the place where water remains, but the chicks must walk, and Bibi leads them, having made the journey as a youth. When young flamingo Toto collapses from exhaustion and the rest grumble, Bibi extends her wings to shade them all: “We’ll rest... until we’re all strong enough to continue together.” They make it to the water and the whole flock prepares to migrate, but Bibi feels tired and old, and she slips away on her own—at least until Toto and others recall a Bibi-taught lesson. Charcoal drawings by Weaver (Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn) render Bibi and her fellow flamingoes naturalistically, in quiet pinks and grays, paying careful attention to the graceful forms’ feathers and beaks, and giving a hint of animation to the birds’ faces. It’s a true-to-life account of natural events that flamingoes face, and a fable about a community supporting all of its members. An end note provides context. Ages 3–7. (May)