Lively, appealing bio encourages being your unique self.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Language
very little
When Frida is small, other kids mock her and call her "pata de palo" ("peg leg") because polio has left her with one leg shorter and thinner than the other. When she dresses unconventionally in high school, the rich moms exclaim, "Que niña fea!" ("What an ugly girl").
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Besides a childhood bout with polio, Frida, at 18, suffers horrific injuries when a trolley hits a bus she's riding, which will affect her health and leave her in pain for the rest of her life. Late in life, when a gallery hosts her first one-woman show, she's bedridden -- and becomes part of the exhibition lying in her bed.
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In wake of life-threatening, life-changing accident, Frida realizes "I wanted to be friends only with people who like me just the way I am." Determined and strong-minded, she revels in imagination and beauty, rises above crushing obstacles -- e.g., while recovering from the accident, she teaches herself to paint. She loves her homeland, Mexico, celebrates its culture from fashion to folklore in her life and art. Frida's dad encourages her to play soccer, swim, wrestle, box to build up her strength after she has polio -- even though in Mexico at the time those were considered "boy sports." He encourages her curiosity and imagination. Famous painter Diego Rivera encourages her art. They marry, traveling the world and hobnobbing with rich and famous.
Positive Messages
a lot
"The most beautiful thing is you, just as you are." No one can ever define you, no matter how you look. Art isn't just for the wealthy, it's for everyone.
Educational Value
a lot
Frida Kahlo's story is told in a vivid, appealing way that's accessible to little kids. Much of the story takes place in early 20th century Mexico, with lots of local color and cultural detail, and a bit of Spanish, translated for those who don't understand it. Other historic figures, including her husband, Diego Rivera, and one-time U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, make appearances.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that I Am Frida Kahlo is an outstanding addition to the Ordinary People Change the World series, in which author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos present engaging, kid-friendly (and age-appropriate) picture book biographies of notable people, past and present. Here the spotlight is on the 20th century Mexican artist and teacher Frida Kahlo, who began to paint while bedridden from a devastating injury that left her in lifelong pain. As with other series protagonists, narrator Frida appears as a lively, pint-sized, large-headed cartoon character, here with her famed unibrow and flowers in her hair. She overcomes polio, crippling injury, constant pain, and sexism to pursue her art and explore the world of her imagination, and the book carries a strong message of doing the best you can at being exactly who you are. The story tells how Frida Kahlo loved her native Mexico City and its culture, incorporating its fashion, folklore, and images into her work. Her husband, painter Diego Rivera, is a supporting character; her father, who teaches her about art and nature, and also encourages her to take up what were considered "boy sports" to build up strength, is a quiet star here.
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What's the Story?
I AM FRIDA KAHLO opens in Mexico City, where little Frida is born to a loving family in 1907. At age 6, she contracts polio, which leaves her with one leg shorter and thinner than the other. Kids mock her; her father, who shares his love of art, photography, and nature with his daughter, encourages her to build strength with "boy sports" like soccer and boxing. Indomitable and independent, she sets her own style, makes interesting friends, and disregards those who say mean things about her. At 18, she's bedridden in the wake of a devastating accident that will leave her in pain for the rest of her life. While recuperating in a full body cast, she teaches herself to paint, unleashing her imagination and her love for the lively, colorful culture of Mexico. Painter Diego Rivera praises her work; they eventually marry and travel the world, always returning home to Mexico, where the house she grew up in is now a museum dedicated to her life and art.
Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos present a lively, appealing picture book intro to the strong, imaginative artist known for her intense self-portraits steeped in elements of Mexican folklore. In I Am Frida Kahlo, we see Frida refusing to be limited by pain and ill health or by the expectations of others as she revels in the world of her imagination and becomes famous for her art -- and encourages her students to see beauty wherever they look. There's a strong message of being your best, unique self:
"My face, my clothes, my country, even my pain --
these are the colors on my canvas.
They don't look like anyone else's,
and they shouldn't.
That's the best part.
Your picture is uniquely yours."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about art and the artist's life shown in I Am Frida Kahlo. Do you know anyone who works as an artist? What kind of things do they do? What kind of art do you like to do?
Have you read other books in the Ordinary People Change the World series? Do you have any favorites? How does I Am Frida Kahlo compare with them?
What did you learn about Mexico City in this book? After readingFrida Kahlo's story, do you think you might like to spend some time there?
Available on:
Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
August 15, 2021
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I Am Frida Kahlo: Ordinary People Change the World
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