Mr. Schu: Thank you for creating one of the most innovative
wordless picture books. What planted the seed for Flora and the Flamingo?
Molly Idle:
It was actually a little row of seeds... One small idea after another that
cross pollinated and blossomed into what became Flora and the Flamingo.
The
first seed was the title- which was originally,
Flamingo Dancing. At the time, my sons were learning to talk, often with
charming and giggle-inducing results. I started thinking about words or phrases
that baffled me as a kid. One such was "flamenco dancing"- which I
long believed was pronounced "flamingo dancing". I recall being
puzzled that there were no flamingos involved.
So
I drew a dancing flamingo, but he needed a partner...
That
was the next seed... A flower seed as it turns out... A little girl, drawn as
an homage to my darling nieces (whom my sister made wear matching suits and
swim-caps every summer when they were little).
My
amazing art director Amy Achaibou-
inspired by the little flowers featured on the swim cap- dubbed her
Flora.
So,
I had my characters and I knew that I wanted to tell a story through
dance...But what was the story?
Then
sprang up the third seed. My oldest son was just starting kindergarten, and
trying to figure out the whole process of making friends. It's a tough business
to figure out when you're five... Heck, it can be tough to figure out when
you're 35! And it occurred to me how much the back and forth nature of give and
take in a friendship is like a dance.
That's
when all of the seeds started to grow together.
Mr. Schu: Did you always know Flora and the Flamingo was going
to have interactive flaps and gatefolds?
Molly Idle:
Yes! But my original dummy was for a 16 page book with flaps on every
page. I had it laid out so that you
could read the story without flipping any flaps, or by just flipping Flora's
flaps, or just the Flamingo's flaps, or by flipping each of their flaps in
turn... You, the reader, determined entirely how the story and their friendship
progressed.
When
I sat down with Amy (Achaibou), and my editor Julie Romeis, to work out the final layout, we agreed that
this interaction was key to the story. But we also agreed that it might be more
powerful if we chose to limit the flaps to key moments in the story.
We
began by spreading out all of the flaps into individual pages- so it was a
straightforward wordless picture book. Then, we started going back in and
playing with the placement and pacing of the flaps.
Mr. Schu: The music used in the book trailer perfectly matches
Flora and Flamingo’s dance. Did you select
the music?
Molly Idle:
I did- it's the Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss. It’s such a happy happenstance
that it works on so many levels. It's a classical tune that is accessible and
recognizable, even to very young children, (thanks to its use in so many
classic Loony Tunes cartoons). And, the little "bum-bum, bum-bum" in
the refrain lent itself to the back and forth flip-flap rhythm created when you
play with the flaps in FLORA. And then there's the name of piece... Seeing as
the entire dance between Flora and the Flamingo takes place in water... a piece
of dance music named for a body of water seemed too good a pairing to pass up!
Mr. Schu: Are you a dancer?
Molly Idle:
Ahhh....no. I took lessons in ballet and tap when I was little, but I really
only have coordination in my drawing hand... The only dancing I do these days
is boogying around the house with my boys. And even then, I look much more like
Elaine from Seinfeld (see video below) than a graceful flamingo!
Mr. Schu: How does your background in animation influence your
work?
Mr. Schu: Please share three of your favorite wordless picture
books.
Mr. Schu: Please complete these sentence starters:
Picture books are windows that open up to reveal a larger
world.
Reading is the key to everything else.
Mr. Schu, you should have asked me...
Who
is my favorite (non-pink) dancing duo!
Gene
Kelly and Donald O'Connor, in Singing In The Rain! If you haven't seen them
before, and even if you have- watch this:
These
two are awesome- their feet are
positively flying! But what's more, if you watch their faces closely, there are
some looks they exchange with one another that couldn’t have been scripted.
Looks that say more eloquently than words ever could, the joy and camaraderie
they feel dancing together.
