Emma Valenghi – illustratör

When a daring young pelican lands unannounced into a quiet garden in Southend-on-Sea, she meets Aaron, a young boy whose curiosity is as boundless as the sky. Their instant friendship and bond turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, soon garden ponds become ice rinks, driveways become runways, and every flap of Gargi’s enormous wings invites Aaron to dream bigger. Eventually rehomed to London’s St James’s Park, Gargi does what no other pelican dares, she flies! With her wings unclipped and her appetite untamed, she flaps between parks, palaces and people, becoming a legend in the skies. Told with playful, rhyming interludes from Gargi’s own cheeky point of view, this book celebrates friendship, freedom and the magic that happens when real events meet a child’s limitless imagination. Gargi the Great Flying Pelican is a picture book that blends true events with a child’s sense of wonder. Children and grown-ups will fall in love with this unforgettable true story full of warmth and humour.