Little Frida

Description

Little Frida

A story of Frida Kahlo

Anthony Browne

(Walker Books)

After falling ill with polio, Little Frida walks ‘with a limp‘. From that point, she feels different. Again, despite having sisters and working with her father’s photographic business, she is ‘lonely’ and ‘separate’.  Frida dreams of flying yet despite wishes for a toy plane, she’s gifted wings by her parents. At that point, she draws a door and handle on a misted window, to enter another world to which she has been transported to be ‘FREE‘, that she can ‘run‘. As she explores, her thirst leads her toward another door, and thereafter to discover another girl, in ‘the centre of the earth’. She watches while the girl dances, laughing, before sharing her problems. Somehow, this magical girl offers the friendship that Frida has never experienced. When she leaves her she determines to return, remember and paint her.

Anthony Browne interprets Frida Kahlo’s stories of her imaginary friend whom she represented in her paintings. His surreal style is suited beautifully to the unconfined, allegorical style of Frida Kahlo. The story is empathetic and powerful, while the images are huge, meaningful and captivating. We are entranced by Little Frida, as we are by Voices in the Park or other works by the former children’s laureate,