Morales, Yuyi. Viva Frida. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2014. ISBN 1596436034.
Viva Frida is both picture book and proclamation. Written in first person point of view, Frida Kahlo speaks to readers about her creative process in English and Spanish, with both languages on each page. The illustrations are both photographs (by Tim O'Meara) and paintings, and the combination is visually engaging, with vivid and playful renderings of her face, dress, and even her pet monkey. Reading Viva Frida is what it might have been like to listen to Frida speak at a museum showing. Husband Diego Rivera appears, but the focus here is Frida's artistic curiosity, as well as her vibrant appearance (with signature jewelry and floral head adornment) and spirit. In a double page spread in which Frida rests on a grass mound barefoot, (shoes cast off nearby), we gaze up dreamily into the sky with her, a delicate reaching hand aiming with hope.
Viva Frida is a visual feast of a book and will inspire multiple readings. Not only a must for an art teacher, but also for anyone interested in creativity.
Yuyi Morales has won the Pura Belpré Award multiple times, but most recently for Niño Wrestles the World.
Click here to see more about this book.
Viva Frida is set for release on September 2, 2014.
Click here to see more about this book.
Viva Frida is set for release on September 2, 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment