Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Magical Realism Abounds in the Lacamara's and Morales' Floating on Mama's Song


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Me, Frida and you need to know about me!


Frida Kahlo is the subject of a new picture book biography by Amy Novesky and David Diaz Me, Frida!. Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, this book has received very little attention this year and I wanted to make sure that YOU knew about it. Below is my review from REFORMA.

Me, Frida. Amy Novesky. Illus. by David Diaz. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2010. Unpaged. $16.95 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-0-8109-8969-6. Grades 1-3. English with some Spanish.

A lovely little bird on the arm of an enormous elephant; this is how Frida Kahlo imagines herself when she and her husband, famed artist Diego Rivera, visit San Francisco together for the first time. As Diego’s fame grows as large as the city, Frida struggles to find her place and her voice as an emerging artist. The comparison of Frida’s journey to that of a bird is explored throughout Diaz’s flaming illustrations in the form of a pink bird that travels with the artist from Mexico and throughout San Francisco to eventually find itself one of the subjects in Frida’s important portrait Frieda and Diego Rivera. Novesky’s straightforward text gives readers a glimpse into Frida’s life that can be further explored in more comprehensive titles such as Carmen T. Bernier-Grand’s Frida: Viva La Vida! Long Live Life! (2007). Recommended as an additional purchase.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Belpré Award-Winning Illustrator Rafael López's New Children's Book Blog


Have you ever wondered how an illustrator created those amazing images in your favorite book? What are the various muses behind the beautiful imagery? What types of emotions are intentionally imbued in the illustrations? Rafael Lopez, the award-winning illustrator of the Book Fiesta answers all of these questions and more in his new children's literature blog. Available: http://rafaellopezbooks.blogspot.com/.