What happens when two playful flamingos dance themselves into a knot?

To Be or Knot to Be is a colorful children’s picture book adventure set deep in the Florida Everglades. While dancing and spinning with their colony on the mudflats, two flamingos tumble to the ground and discover that their long necks have become tied in a knot!

Determined to get free, the tangled pair sets off across the Everglades in search of help. Their journey takes them through mangrove swamps, Shark River Slough, sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, hardwood hammocks, and the Florida pinelands. Along the way, they encounter a raccoon, red-bellied cooter, alligator, playful otters, Florida panther, and a wise Great Horned Owl.

But the flamingos ultimately discover something they never expected: the knot they thought was their biggest problem taught them how to work together. Through every challenge, they learned to stand, walk, fly, run, and face the journey as a team—discovering that sometimes two really are better than one.

The adventure continues beyond the story with educational Everglades fun facts about real Florida habitats, including mudflats, mangrove swamps, freshwater sloughs, sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, hardwood hammocks, and pine rocklands.

Children can also explore the illustrations with a Habitat Hunt, searching for hidden Everglades plants and wildlife throughout the book—from butterflies, snakes, birds, and a colorful tree snail to bromeliads, a ghost orchid, roseate spoonbill, gumbo limbo tree, and more.

A fun blend of story, nature, discovery, and teamwork, To Be or Knot to Be invites young readers to explore the remarkable Florida Everglades while following two unforgettable flamingos on an adventure they never planned.

Written and illustrated by Melanie Burgess.