Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Brandon Todd!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Brandon Todd
Brandon Todd made his picture book debut illustrating Dev Petty’s The Bear Must Go On, which Booklist called “witty and wonderful” and Kirkus praised as “a snort-inducing lesson of both bravery and preparation.” Brandon is the author/illustrator of Tou-Can’t! and author of The Adventure Friends early reader series for Scholastic. He lives in Missouri with his wife and daughters.
About the Book: DO YOU REALLY KNOW FLAMINGOS?
Animal facts have never been so funny, in this picture book that celebrates curiosity and communication
Frank E. Armadillo is an Expert Explorer Extraordinaire who can’t wait to tell you all about their latest discovery: pretty, pretty princess birds! Frank E. knows what flamingos eat (pink cotton candy), where they live (only the swankiest, most exclusive beaches), and even why they stand on one leg (they’re practicing to be ballerinas, of course). Except here comes a real-life Flamingo! In this laugh-out-loud and fact-filled series-opener, Frank discovers they don’t know what they don’t know, and that real experts ask questions.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
Two things inspired this book; both came from listening to podcasts.
The first was an animal fact I heard on a science podcast (maybe Radiolab?).
“Flamingos can survive standing in a frozen lake overnight.”
It might be the perfect animal fact! It’s surprising, challenges the flamingo stereotype, and it sticks with you. Years later, I was still thinking about it, so when I came up with a new idea for a picture book, all I knew was that I wanted it to be about misunderstood flamingos.
The second inspiration came more recently from listening to current event podcasts. Time and again, it feels like the adults in charge are creating more problems because they can’t admit they are wrong or claim to be experts on issues they haven’t really spent much time understanding. Instead, they base all their opinions on vibes. While it is infuriating to see play out in the real world, this felt like the perfect cautionary element to add to my flamingo fact book.
YABC: Is your main character like you?
Ha! No. Both the main characters in this story are very confident. Frank has the overconfidence of a child that’s never been told no. He’s an amazing showman and can easily captivate an audience. Flamingo, on the other hand, is so self-assured that it is willing to speak up against the expert in the room. And flamingo’s patience is unparalleled. I wish I had aspects of both, but if I relate to anyone in this book, it’s the peanut gallery. The crabs and seagulls who take in the information and weigh who to believe. They can also tell pretty early on that Frank may not be the expert he claims to be.
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
I try not to think of a book as finished. I don’t mean that to sound overly philosophical. It’s more of a survival mechanism. As much as I try to anticipate all the problems in a story and create the strongest version before sharing the book, I will inevitably miss something. Not seeing it as finished helps keep me open to feedback down the road. The challenge with feedback is knowing what to follow up on, but if you stay open, you can find the bigger issue behind it and not get hung up on the details. I think my stories are always stronger because of this. If I thought I was done, it would be much harder to go back in and rework it. In the end, I tinker with the manuscript as long as possible, finessing it little by little with each pass. So I guess I only know it’s finished when I hand off the final artwork.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve considered myself a “storyteller” since I started drawing comic strips in the third grade (getting the reactions from my teacher and students was addicting), but I never considered it writing because there were always pictures attached. Much later, I became an art director for motion graphics and would write scripts for commercial projects. Telling other brands’ stories didn’t feel like writing either, though, because design was still my primary role in the project. Finally, when I had a kid, I decided to start telling my own stories and got into picture books. Even then, I didn’t see myself as a writer. I finally had to confront this when I became just the author of The Adventure Friends series. There were no pictures for me to hide behind. That was the first time I started seeing myself as a writer.
Maybe it’s just semantics or imposter syndrome, but I still have a hard time calling myself a writer. (I also have a hard time calling myself an illustrator.) On books I write and illustrate I like to just put “by Brandon Todd.” It’s my sneaky way of avoiding the issue altogether. But I’m trying to be better about acknowledging it. I definitely want to keep doing this for a long time as I can.
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?
Frank. From the start, I wanted him to be an unreliable narrator. One that kids would instantly pick up on and fight against. But I struggled to strike a balance between making him part of the problem and making sure we were still rooting for him.
At first, Frank was literally a weasel. I wrote him like a traveling snake oil salesman. My agent, Rebecca, wisely pointed out that kids may not pick up on that reference and suggested making him more kid-like and also trying more recognizable animals. Every time I tried a new animal, though, the personality changed. Frank the goose was fanboying over the flamingos, and Frank the house cat only knew flamingos as the ornaments in his yard. Finally, I found an animal that felt like a blank slate: the armadillo. I pretty much fell in love with this version of Frank the second I drew him. Then it was a matter of making his voice more childlike. Innocent assumptions replaced overt deceitfulness.
YABC: What is your favorite reading space?
Cozied up in bed, staying up too late, or reclining on a couch early in the morning. Basically, the two ingredients I need are somewhere my feet can stretch out under a blanket, and a peaceful room. The bookends of the day are the only time in my house when the conditions are juuuuuust right and there’s nothing to distract or guilt me away from reading.
YABC: What hobbies do you enjoy?
I ride my bike around my city and take photos. I’ve been doing it for a year now, and it’s been fun. It forces me to explore areas of the city I’d never go, and the camera keeps me alert, looking at my surroundings differently. I don’t plan to do anything with the photos other than occasionally post them on my Substack; it’s just an outlet, and I like keeping it that way. The only downside is that it’s pretty weather-dependent, so winter was rough. Now that spring is here, I’ve been back at it.
The most important aspect of a good hobby is not to make a career out of it or obsess over its metrics. I made that mistake once, and it ruined the hobby for me. Now my hobbies are just an escape. I don’t need to be good at them or even improve at them because the doing is the goal.
YABC: What’s your least favorite word or expression and why?
“Live like today is your last.”
That one drives me crazy. I watch a lot of apocalyptic and postapocalyptic movies (I’m a sucker for those), and when everyone thinks today is their last, they become incredibly selfish. Stockpiling toilet paper and distrusting anyone they don’t know. There’s enough of that in the world right now. It just feels like a very selfish affirmation to me. A more useful one would be something like:
“Live like you have to spend the next 100 years working closely with everyone you interact with.”
Not as catchy, I guess. I’ll have to workshop it.
YABC: What is your favorite holiday or tradition and why?
I have 2 favorite traditions that also stress me out every year, but the stress is worth it.
First, every Easter, instead of an Easter egg hunt, I create a scavenger hunt for my kids. They have to solve puzzles or riddles to find the next egg. As my kids get older, I’ve been able to make the clues increasingly difficult. It’s getting tricky to come up with new puzzles every year, but it’s also pretty rewarding, and it’s something that my kids still look forward to. (Even the teenager!)
Second, every year (with the exception of the year we all got COVID) since my kids were born, we make a Christmas video instead of a card. It’s usually only about a minute long and each one is completely unique. Last year we made an 80’s throwback movie. But one year, we just filmed the kids trying unsuccessfully to wrap a present. It’s been fun having these to look back on every year. We make it a rule that we can’t watch the previous years’ videos until we’ve finished the latest. We now have 13 of them!
YABC: What’s up next for you?
There’s another Do You Really Know book in the works, and I’m really excited for the potential of this series. The next one is about Bats and tackles the challenge of letting fear guide your choices instead of facts. I’m currently in the middle of making the art for that book. I’m still humbled to be a small part of the picture book world. Stories are such a powerful tool to help us make sense of the world. That’s something we all need right now.
Title: DO YOU REALLY KNOW FLAMINGOS?
Author: Brandon Todd
Release Date: May 19, 2026
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9798217114672
Genre: Hardcover Picture Book
Age Range: 4-8
~ Giveaway Details ~
Use the Rafflepress Form below to enter
*Be sure to include a complete mailing address for the second entry question to qualify to win*
Five (5) winners will receive a hardcover copy of DO YOU REALLY KNOW FLAMINGOS? (Brandon Todd) ~US Only!
Such an entertaining way to teach children about a fascinating animal but that it is OK to ask questions!
What a great cover!