KIDS BOOKS REVIEW: The Little People, Big Dreams

My First Frida Kahlo

Little People , Big Dreams (series)

Frida Kahlo by Isabel Sánchez Vegara and illustrated by Gee Fan Eng.

My daughter Lyra’s love for painting, colour and big flowers in her hair always made me think of Frida Kahlo and so since a little baby, I have been sharing stories and books to her about one of the world’s most loved and inspirational Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo.

The Little People, Big Dreams is a wonderful series of books for children featuring courageous, empowering and inspiring role models from artists, to scientists, to authors and designers.  They all started life as children with big dreams and with sheer determination and their uniqueness they made a name for themselves.

I love this small board book format for my three year old daughter as it fits perfectly in her little hands, to hold onto and hug dearly, as she does. Told in simple sentences, it shares the key events in Frida Kahlo’s fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking life. Her childhood illness from contracting polio when she was a little girl, that made her leg very skinny. Frida was brave and different, and she was happy with her uniqueness.One day Frida was in terrible car accident and was bedridden but her disability did not stop her. She started drawing pictures of her foot while she was in bed, and then of her face while looking in a mirror.

The book also shares how she met her husband Diego Rivera (a famous artist) and about her first showcase in New York City.

When Frida Kahlo got ill again, nothing stopped her from going to her next show, in her own bed.

The illustrations are unique, colourful and bold, as a book about Frida Kahlo can only be.

What a beautiful story about not giving up, not letting your disabilities define you and living life!

Lyra’s new favourite saying is “ Viva la Vida”… as was Frida Kahlo’s.

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