Lola’s Fandango

Lola desperately wants to distinguish herself from her older sister – in seeking refuge in her parents' closet Lola discovers her mother's polka dot flamenco shoes. Aided by her father Lola learns to flamenco dance, not just any dance, but the Fandango.

Anna Witte’s text is infused with the rhythms, beats and sounds, whilst Lola’s family environment is beautifully rendered by Micha Archer’s collages. They are a vibrant and eclectic mixture of wild colours, fabrics, and patterns that manage not to clash.  A mixture of Eric Carle and Brian Wildsmith’s paper collages with Paul Gauguin’s people and colour.  Anna Witte’s text is slightly longer than the average 32 page book, but does merit it.

There is an abundance of Spanish words slipped very naturally into the narrative. It is full of wonderful sounds that make it excellent for reading aloud; ‘Honk hooonk’ outside Lola's apartment, ‘Toca toca tica’ go Lola's dancing shoes on the floor. And the neighbour downstairs knocks BAM! BAM! BAM! On his ceiling when Lola's practicing makes too much noise. 

My only slight reservation is the choice of illustration for the cover, not as strong as some on the inside. The book comes with an audio CD of the text.