Paint the Town Pink

Paint the Town Pink is a sweet story of a flamingo who ends up in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The tropical bird is, of course, not native to the province but receives a warm welcome from locals. They call her Rose and begin to paint the town pink to help her fit in. Residents of the city eat pink food, paint buildings and houses pink and even knit pink clothes. Rose decides to stay in St. John’s because she’s happy as a lark there, thanks to hospitality from the locals.

Lori Doody, who also wrote Mallard, Mallard, Moose, is no stranger to writing books set in St. John’s. Doody was born in St. John’s and studied printmaking at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. She spent her career focusing on printmaking, with a particular focus on etching. The illustrations in this book are stunning, and readers will find something new to be discovered in her illustrations each time they read the book. In true Doody style, the inside cover has numerous pink flamingos which reflect the vivid illustrations throughout the story. Her portrayal of St. John’s is spot on, and those who have visited or lived in the city will find similarities to real life St. John’s. The bright, bold and colourful images reflect the happy flamingo and the pleasant, upbeat residents of St. John’s who are so quick to welcome this unique bird. 


Paint the Town Pink is a wonderful addition to a home, school or local library collection. It would be a wonderful book to read during storytime as children would have so much fun guessing where the flamingo is going to go next. Doody’s also including flamingo facts is something which children would enjoy. It should also be noted that this book was published by the small publishing company, Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides, Inc. located in Tors Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s promising to see a small publication company publishing these heartwarming children’s books. Paint the Town Pink is a story about welcoming migrants, a timely book that you don’t want to miss.