Frida

“Frida” was an excellent story that chronicled the life of painter, Frida Kahlo. I enjoyed the story for two main reasons. First, the illustrations were excellent and mirrored the style of Kahlo’s own art. The illustrations also had very authentic aspects of Mexican culture within them. I read in the illustrator’s note that Mexican art and culture played a very important part in Frida’s development as an artist. The illustrator states, “For this reason I have portrayed traditional characters in Mexican folk art-funny skeletons, little devils, sweet jaguars, and others-as constant companions throughout her life. These are images she would have seen in her childhood home, in the markets of her town, and in books.” I thought show more this was a really cool thing that the illustrator did, because it made the biography very authentic to Frida’s actual life. Because of the vivid illustrations drawn to exemplify Frida’s inspirations and own artwork, it seemed like “Frida” was Kahlo’s own story and not just a story about her. Secondly, I really liked the message that “Frida” sent. Frida suffered from Polio when she was little and was confined to a bed for nine months. She was also in a horrible bus accident which put her in a full body cast for three months and in constant pain for the rest of her life. During both recoveries Frida’s love of art was what kept her sane. Of course, she had her moments of despair and pain but her love of painting always got her through it. This is exemplified through the lines, “After the accident, life will never be the same for Frida. She will walk with a cane-when she is able to walk. Her body will hurt, always. But Frida doesn’t cry or complain. Instead of crying, she paints pictures of herself crying. When she can’t leave bed, she paints in bed. When her whole torso is put in a cast, she paints on the cast.” These lines showcase how Frida took all the immense pain she had in her life and turned it into something beautiful and positive. I believe the main idea of “Frida” is to remain positive even in the most terrible of situations. After having polio and then being in a horrific accident, Frida could have easily been depressed and given up on her art. Instead of doing this Frida took the unfortunate circumstances in her life and turned them into her beautiful paintings. Frida’s story is a true inspiration for all people who are struggling and a testament to never giving up. show less

I liked this biographical book. The writing is the first thing I noticed. It doesn’t seem like a normal, informational biography. For the young audience, it seemed like it was turned into more of a story than simple facts about Frida’s life. Instead of saying something like “At age six, Frida fell ill with polio,” the story said, “All of the sudden, Frida falls very ill.” The author even mentions, “Even her imaginary friend can’t cheer her on.” In giving more emotion to the story of her life, the author does seem a bit biased and supportive toward the artist’s life, but it does make it more interesting for readers. Making the biography more of a story, it adds more plot, another aspect of why I liked this book. The show more growth in emotional attachment to Frida makes the suspense rise in points of the book such as when younger Frida falls sick or when older Frida gets into the accident. Overall, the message or idea is to inform readers about Frida Kahlo’s life. It was done so in a short, story-like manner to better appeal to a younger audience. show less

Frida (ages 5-9) is a picture book biography by Jonah Winter and exquisitely illustrated by Ana Juan that tells the story of the colorful and controversial life of Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. Though not in verse, the poetic quality of the text lends a dream-like quality to Kahlo’s story, and is enchantingly paired with Ana Juan’s acrylic illustrations incorporating Mexican folk art motifs and the palette and magical surrealism of Kahlo’s paintings. The prose and images combine to create a fantastical voyage into Kahlo’s life and art by telling a story that may be light on facts, but instead conveys the spirit of Kahlo’s life and art. Kahlo is an inspirational artist whose perseverance and tenacity in her paintings and her show more life will expand children’s horizons and especially inspire girls to conquer barriers to their dreams. show less

This is a great book to help young children learn about one of the most influential artist from Mexico. What I love the most about the book is the art work. The illustrator, Ana Juan, does an amazing job of using Frida's unique painting style to illustrate her life in this biography. This is an easy read that helps young readers see Fridas struggles and her emotions through the use of beautiful illustrations.

Frida is a simple, but great book. Winter does a great job of discussing the more tragic events of Frida's life in a way that is accurate, but not too dark for children. The illustrations are also incredibly unique and vibrant. The book also mentions many aspects of Mexican culture and art.

This book takes the very adult content of Frida Kahlo’s hardships and translates them into a book for children. It focuses on how Frida channeled the emotions from each hardship into her art. I think this book would be excellent to share with a child going through their own hardship. The illustrations are very whimsical and imaginative, which is fitting for a biography about Frida Kahlo. This is also good for a multicultural addition to a class library because it is full of Hispanic heritage.

This book covers both the hard and wonderful parts of Frida Kahlo's life. She had a tough upbringing and I enjoyed that it was shown to be tough and not sugar coated, although it is not so horrible as to frighten or shock the children you are reading to. The illustrations are really wonderful and many of the characters in her paintings and her paintings are shown so one can truly see where her inspiration comes from. Because it comes in both Spanish and English ti makes a great book for an ESL classroom where students can experience both languages.