Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos

This unusual biography talks about the life of artist Frida Kahlo by using her pets as an entry point. Kahlo had a large number of pets, including cats, dogs, deer, turkeys, monkeys, etc. These constant companions kept her company when she was confined to bed with illness or injury and became the subjects in many of her works when she took up painting as a result of being bedridden. As the author of this book introduces each pet, she uses them to describe Kahlo as well. For example, the fawn has deep watchful eyes as young Frida learns to be observant while going on outings with her photographer father. Later in life, the monkeys can be mischievous just as Kahlo and her friends at school could sometimes instigated a small amount of show more trouble. And so on.

This style of biography is atypical, but I think it is very fitting for the target audience of young children. Rather than introducing dull dates and random events, the reader becomes fully immersed in Frida's world. By the time she becomes an artist, the reader can see all the influences and steps that lead up to that decision. An author's note at the end provides more factual details and helpfully includes a list of several of Kahlo's artworks featuring her pets for those who want to explore this artist's paintings more.

I'm not well enough versed in art to successfully describe the illustration style for this book. The people and animals seem flat rather than three-dimensional, but there are so many bright colors and details on each page spread that the illustrations still manage to jump off the page and catch the reader's eye. While they are clearly their own style, the illustrations do seem to pay homage to Kahlo's art. show less

It is a beautifully told story of the incredible Frida Kahlo, but with a twist, as the author also tells the story of the animals that Frida kept as pets. The comparisons between the animals and Frida helps the reader to understand the creativity and passion inside of Frida. As a child Frida was playful like a cat, mischievous like her monkeys, had an imagination like her eagle, intelligent and sensitive like her turkeys and warm and loving like her dogs. Despite spending much of her life ill Frida was able to use all of these characteristics to create some of the most amazing art in the world. Using the bond between Frida and her animals to tell her story was an incredibly powerful way to explore the life of a fascinating woman. The show more illustrations in the book are colorful and bold just like Frida herself. show less

While I originally chose to read this book for my Multicultural Literature Text Set, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning about a young Frida Kahlo’s upbringing, her family and her many pets. Well-known for her famous self-portraits and nature inspired pieces, this children’s book showcases the artist’s creative childhood through her various pets, and how it later influenced her future artwork. One of my favorite parts of the book was how Monica Brown used the pets (2 monkeys, a parrot, 3 dogs, 2 turkeys, an eagle, a black cat, and a fawn) to help tell us a little more about Frida Kahlo’s personality. For example, I thought it was very clever to use Kahlo’s pet monkey and cat to describe her playful and show more curious nature respectively. She presents the warm, sensitive, intelligent and especially spirited personality of a young girl who has fallen in love with art and the world around her. This made the text both informative and fun to read about! I also really liked how the author connected to the story to the modern day by providing more information about Frida Kahlo’s life and how fans of the artist can visit her home, La Casa Azul, in Mexico. show less

This book explores the life of artist Frida Kahlo through her relationships with animals, which symbolized different aspects of her personality. It also touches on her struggles with illness and how they influenced her artwork. The story highlights themes of identity, culture, and creative expression.

This novel depiction of Frida Kahlo's life and journey to becoming an artist is a colorful non-sympathetic portrayal of Frida's life obstacles. Growing up, Frida faced a major illness and a major accident; but that did not stop her from interacting with the outside world; particularly animals. She adopted many animals throughout her life and used them as muses for her paintings.

I love animals, and I know many of my students do too! This biography tells a story of healing and creativity rather than a timeline of events and struggles. The pictures are bright and detailed, and the words are spun into beautiful sentiments about finding inner strength.

This book explores the life of Frida Kahlo, telling her story through the animals featured in her paintings. With vibrant illustrations and adorable animals, it’s both engaging and visually captivating! I’d love to use this book in my classroom to introduce Spanish culture, language, and an inspiring female role model.

Monica Brown did a really great job of comparing Frida Kahlo's personality traits to the many traits of her various pets which helps readers to understand her better. Like her pets free to roam and loved greatly, Frida freely gave of her talents and in turn her artwork is loved by many. I think this book would be a great mentor text for teaching similies and metaphors because of the comparisons of Frida to her pets.
It's inspiring that Frida overcame her sickness and injury, but the author's note touches on it more than the story itself. I think Brown could have displayed this more, but I do see how she wanted to focus more on the importance of her animals that inspired her paintings.