Me, Frida

Me, Frida

Written by: Amy Novesky
Illustrated by: David Diaz

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book**

"This picture book focuses on the year that Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, spent in San Francisco while he worked on murals for the Pacific Stock Exchange. It was 1930 and Frida was young, newly married, and just beginning her own career as a painter. She had never been out of Mexico and everything about this trip was new and overwhelming. Novesky adeptly tells how Kahlo began to gain her confidence and find her place in the world, using the city and its surroundings as inspiration for her own work. The writing is succinct and careful, and a portrait of Frida as a strong, feisty woman comes through clearly. Diaz's acrylic and charcoal paintings echo Kahlo's own folkloric style, brimming with color and detail, but are unique as well, providing a rich complement to the text."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/weta/fridakahlo/life/index.html

Frida Kahlo: Portraits of Women for Children

Frida Kahlo: Portraits of Women for Children

Written by: Robyn Turner

"Frida Kahlo was born near Mexico City in 1907. As a child, she battled polio, and later was injured for life as a result of a bus accident. This engrossing portrait of her life is illustrated with full-color reproductions of her work."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.fridakahlo.com/
http://www.pbs.org/weta/fridakahlo/guides/parents_act1.html

My Land Sings: Stories from the Rio Grande

My Land Sings: Stories from the Rio Grande

Written by: Rudolfo Anaya
Illustrated by: Amy Cordova

"This collection of stories has elements of both Mexican and Native American folklore. Anaya has included five of his own stories and retold and enhanced five traditional tales. Filled with ghosts, devils, and tricksters, these cuentos are suffused with the beliefs of the peoples in the Rio Grande region. Because of the predominating Roman Catholicism of those who settled the area, the pieces have strong elements of that religion in them as well. The tales are divided into categories such as rogues and rascals, enchantment, animals, and riddles; some are humorous, while others teach a lesson. The latter is represented by the author's story "Sipa's Choice," in which a young leader and his people are metamorphosed into golden carp because the young man failed to respect the traditional ways of his father. Anaya champions the reading of a good book or listening to a folktale as an opportunity to insert one's own experiences into the story and, hence, to nurture the imagination. This appealing volume will add diversity to folklore collections."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/chh/bio/anaya_r.htm