Morales, Yuyi. VIVA FRIDA. 2014. Photography by Tim-O'Meara. New York, NY. Roaring Book Press. ISBN 978-1-59643-603-9.

BIBLIOGRPAHY 

Morales, Yuyi. VIVA FRIDA. 2014. Photography by Tim-O'Meara. New York, NY. Roaring Book Press. ISBN 978-1-59643-603-9. 

PLOT SUMMARY 

The life of Frida Kahlo, a famous Mexican author is portrayed through interesting artwork created by Yuyi Morales. The picture book in both Spanish and English and shows the reader Frida’s way of seeing herself as well as how she is known for her bold way of expressing herself, which is how she portrayed and remembered.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS) 

Yuyi Morales used stop-motion with puppets, photography and digital manipulation to portray Frida, her pets, husband and show her rich culture. The characters are digitally manipulated and show authentic physical characteristics to what Frida was well-known for. Her unibrow showed her unapologetic way of being and is culturally accurate to her life. The theme throughout this picture book is Frida’s life and how she viewed herself. Her pet monkey accompanies her throughout the book, and we see how she rescues and injured deer. Her compassion for the deer is actually symbolic of her life when she experienced a life changing accident which left her hospitalized. This ignited her artistic journey in self-portraits. The setting takes the reader through culturally rich bold colors of Latin American culture.  

Frida’s clothes are representative of the Mexican culture with big skirts embroidered with floral prints and bright colors. The calavera (skeleton) puppet incorporates distinct Hispanic cultural experiences and values. Yuyi Morales includes an author’s note at the end of the story including details about Frida’s life. Once the reader reads this crucial part of the picture book, they can go back and analyze the photographs and Frida’s story to understand that the way she is explained in this story is relating to her life, which she suffered from polio and a tragic accident that left her hospitalized. She then learns to love herself by showing her art of self-portraits. The format is appealing, and the details draw the reader in to carefully examine the many culturally rich details.  

I fully enjoyed reading this book. It was a very interesting layout and contained a very deep meaning behind it all. My hometown of Laredo, TX has a well-known restaurant, “La Casa de Frida” known for their brunch menu. The building is blue. After reading this book, I now know the meaning behind the color for this restaurant. Frida’s childhood home was the color blue.  

REVIEW EXCERPTS 

ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2015 

Booklist, 09/15/14 

Caldecott Honor, 09/01/15 

Horn Book Guide starred, 04/01/15 

Horn Book Magazine starred, 09/01/14 

Publishers Weekly starred, 06/16/14 

Pura Belpre Illustrator Award, 2015 

School Library Journal starred, 08/01/14 

Booklist (September 15, 2014 (Vol. 111, No. 2)): “The three- dimensional quality of the illustrations lends realism, even though they are quite surreal, and the photography always captures the sparkle in Frida’s eyes and the lights at any fiesta.” 

Horn Book Guide starred (Spring 2015): “Morales initially shows Kahlo as a puppet: made from stee, polymer, clay, and wool, three-dimensionally figures are photographed and digitally manipulated inside double-page spread collages.” 

Horn Book Magazine (September/October 2014): “There have been several books for young readers about Frida Kahlo, but none has come close to the emotional aesthetic Morales brings to her subject, as a Mexican artist herself who understands the particular landscape of Kahlo’s imagination.” 

CONNECTIONS 

A great artistic extension for readers would be to create a self-portrait. Including culturally rich bold and bright colors of paper mâché templates to include as a border will give the self-portraits an authentic touch to the Hispanic/Latino culture. 

Searching databases for Frida Kahlo would be a great extension activity to learn more about Frida, her life, her art, and more.  

Displaying other titles by Yuyi Morales will expose readers to her creative works.  

Brown, Monica. FRIDA KAHLO Y SUS ANIMALITOS. ISBN 978-1-51607-419-8 

Meltzer, Brad. SOY FRIDA KAHLO. ISBN 978-1-51604-494-0 

Lopez, Silvia. MI LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK SOBRE FRIDA KAHLO. ISBN 978-0-593-17438-8