The Man From The Land of Fandango
By Margaret Mahy
Illustrated by Polly Dunbar
The Man from the land of Fandango is a magical story. In the story, the children create a whimsical man by drawing him with paints on canvas and then bringing their picture to life. The Man from the Land of Fandango wears bright colored pants, jacket, and tie. He is able to transform himself into whatever he wishes, such as a bird or a ball, and loves to share treats with his amazing friends whether they are animals or children.
A nice poetic rhythm, along with the use of some alliteration, assures that second graders will love the story and find it very entertaining. The reader is able to feel the liveliness as the Man from Fandango bounces around from here to there. Children will love the way the story uses imagination to take them on a wild and silly adventure in a fun, whimsical way that is sure to entertain.
This book is great for teachers to use as a read aloud to introduce rhyme scheme and also alliteration. Children will love the rhythm noted in the story and the use of the adjectives used to describe how they dance and sing. This book would also be great for teachers to introduce the fantasy genre. Children will be able to relate to having dreams of making things come to life and the journeys life could take them on when they use their imagination.
This book is written by Margaret Mahy who lives in New Zealand and is internationally acknowledged as one of today’s outstanding writers. She has won the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the England Carnegie Medal twice.
The illustrator, Polly Dunbar, has illustrated many picture books, some of which she also wrote. She lives and works in England.
Title: The Man from the Land of Fandango- Author: Margaret Mahy
- Illustrator: Polly Dunbar
- Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Reviewer: Rebecca L. Wagner
- Hardback: 24 pages
- ISBN: 978-0-547-81988-4
- Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
