Pinky Got Out!

March 1, 2019
Children on a field trip to the zoo follow the antics of Pinky the escapee flamingo.Portis' debut picture book follows Penny, a light-skinned, brown-haired little girl, and her racially diverse class on a field trip to a generic-looking zoo. Penny repeatedly exclaims that Pinky the flamingo "got out" and is hiding in various animals' enclosures, which she points out to her classmates, but the zookeeper does not believe her until Pinky pops out and startles her in the gift shop, the last stop on the tour. Pinky eventually escapes the zoo and perches on top of Penny's house in the penultimate and most charming illustration in the book. Richmond's simple, cartoon illustrations depict human characters with uniformly oversized, perfectly round heads and offer both chances to find Pinky in the background and fun, silly reveals. However, the repetitive structure of the story is weak, causing the book to lose momentum and feel unfocused. The author inelegantly weaves other lessons into the story of Pinky--the zookeeper gives brief facts about only some of the animals that appear in the illustrations and repeatedly reminds children of the importance of staying with your class while on a field trip, a lesson clearly meant to underscore the irony of Pinky's escape but that palls nevertheless.Ultimately brings nothing new to the table, though young children will enjoy spotting the titular flamingo. (Picture book. 2-6)

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April 1, 2019
It’s a game of spot-the-flamingo when the aptly named Pinky escapes his flock’s enclosure during a class’s zoo field trip. “These birds always stick together,” a zookeeper tells the class—meanwhile, a sharp-eyed girl named Penny sees the bird take wing and alerts her classmates: “Pinky got out.” The phrase becomes a refrain as Pinky sneaks away to hide variously among meerkats and monkeys, pandas and pythons. Making his debut, children’s book app designer Portis moves the lighthearted story along while deftly incorporating facts about different animal species: “Some seals hold their breath while sleeping underwater,” says the zookeeper, ever oblivious to Pinky’s antics. Illustrations by Richmond (Pax and Blue) will keep readers turning pages as they search for hints of flamingo in each spread (in one, the long-legged bird, sporting snorkel gear, floats among seals; in another, he hides among stuffed monkeys in the gift shop). The kids are glad to share what they learned at the zoo: “Pinky got out!” they shout with glee. And in a final scene that lends heart to the otherwise game-like tale, Pinky perches outside Penny’s window at night, sticking with the friend who sees him best. Ages 3–7.

May 10, 2019

PreS-Gr 2-A class field trip, an oblivious zookeeper, and an avian escape artist set the stage for a series of humorous seek-and-find animal exhibits. After arriving at the zoo, an observant student immediately points out that Pinky the famous flamingo has managed to flee her flock. While the zookeeper stays on script, Penny points to Pinky scuba diving with seals and dangling from trees with the monkeys. By the time the zookeeper finally notices the missing flamingo, the entire class is in on the hunt. They all cheerfully clutch their gift shop animals as they board their school bus, waving goodbye to the zookeeper who has a firm grip on Pinky's wing. This story is similar in theme to other zoo animal escapade stories like Juliette MacIver's That's Not a Hippopotamus! While it doesn't use a refrain or rhyme scheme to propel the story, it does impart interesting animal facts, and the opportunity to find Pinky on each page. VERDICT The bright and humorous illustrations featuring Pinky's gleeful game of hide-and-seek in the other animal enclosures will make this an enjoyable read-aloud for the storytime set. -Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

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