She was born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón in Coyoacán, Mexico, on July 6, 1907. Many know Frida Kahlo’s iconic self-portraits and her famous unibrow! But how much do you know about her life? For instance, did you know she was Mexican and German, or that she had polio at 6 years old, or that she was a fighter for many worker and peasant social justice issues in Mexico? Her art reflected a lot about her life, the social and political conditions of Mexico during her lifetime and the nature and artifacts of Mexico.
Did you know Frida Kahlo barely survived a bus crash at 18 years old? In Frida, she describes her life after the crash and other health issues. She was teased and called “peg-leg.” While her leg made her angry as a child, she was able to escape her anger into another world--her imagination and creativity. In The Two Fridas, you can read about her imaginary friend that helped her creativity flourish and the world where she finds joy and happiness.
You can also see how her art has inspired artists of many mediums in Viva Frida. From miniatures to puppets, these illustrations capture artistic beauty with minimal bilingual text and stay true to capturing the joy of Frida’s life.
Frida Kahlo is uplifted in Mexican culture because her art shares so much of our culture from the important lens of Mexican LGBTQ artist. In Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, learn about her two monkeys, a parrot, three dogs, two turkeys, an eagle, a black cat and a fawn. The illustrations by John Parra share the bold colors of her art and the colors of Mexico’s streets and landmarks, including Frida’s home, La Casa Azul.
Frida Kahlo once said, “I paint flowers so they will not die,” and you can see them in Frida Kahlo's Flower Crown. Her art and who she was as a person is kept alive in many children’s books about her from board books like Little People, Big Dreams’ Frida Kahlo to in-depth biographies like Frida Kahlo,The Artist that Painted Herself. Through these books we are able to share wonderful details about Frida Kahlo, her art, Mexican history and Mexico's beautiful culture with families all across the globe.
Which is your favorite book about Frida?
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