Me, Frida by Amy Novesky, David Díaz (Illustrator)

Frida was a young married woman when she moved to the states.  They came here so her husband's artwork had a better chance of sales.  She can't speak English, knows no one and is pretty lonely.  This leads her to trying her hand at painting.

Abrams Books for Young Readers sent me a copy of this book to review (thank you).  It has been published so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

I knew of this woman's artwork but I didn't realize her husband was an artist, too.  This is a good way to introduce your child to original artwork that has a Mexican influence in it.  Frida's work was mostly self-portraits.  She has over 100 painting and they all seem to feature her in some way.  Her first work was a portrait of her and husband.  She uses vivid colors and a bold style in her work.  My favorite painting is a very tame one that she probably didn't care much about:

I could be wrong; this could be a favorite.  Looking at her other paintings, though, makes me doubt it.  She appears to be very self-centered for the most part.  David Diaz represents her well in his illustrations, using the same colors and style as she did in the majority of her paintings.

She's part of a unusual art history and an interesting person in general.  Why not introduce your child to this Mexican painter?  Her paintings will make you think.