Frida (Spanish Edition)

by Jonah Winter, Ana Juan (Illustrator)

Overview

This long-awaited companion to Jonah Winter's acclaimed DIEGO feature the paintings of young Spanish artist, Ana Juan. This stunning picture book is the perfect gift for art enthusiasts of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439331180
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/01/2002
Edition description:	SPANISH
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 9.50(h) x (d)
Language:	Spanish
Lexile:	400L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jonah Winter has written many exciting picture book biographies for children, with subjects that include Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Barack Obama, and Dizzy Gillespie. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ana Juan illustrated Frida, Jonah Winter's picture book biography of Frida Kahlo, which was an ALA Notable Book and received an Américas Honor Award. She also received the Ezra Jack Keats award for The Night Eater, her first book as author-illustrator. She lives in Madrid, Spain.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for DIEGO (1991):"An accessible picture book about the life and work of Diego Rivera sounds like an oxymoron, but Winter . . . succeed[s] beyond belief. . . . The last pictures show him as a young man, perched on his scaffolding, brushes in hand, beckoning viewers on with his ardent glance. Readers will wish they could follow." — School Library Journal"An excellent beginning biography." — Kirkus* One of The Ruminator Review's 100 Best Children's Books of the Twentieth Century * A Reading Rainbow Review book* A 1991 Parents' Choice Award Honor winnerPraise for FAIR BALL! (1997):Certain to be a hit with kids who take baseball history seriously, Winter's . . . handsome volume devotes a spread each to 14 stars of the Negro Leagues. Balancing stats with engaging trivia and anecdotes, the author will open readers' eyes to the injustices of segregated baseball. . . . This picture book [will help set some records straight. — Publishers WeeklyA good, highly accessible introduction to a group of athletes who deserve to be as well known as their white counterparts. — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

K-Gr 4-This wonderfully conceived early biography of artist Frida Kahlo is a feast for the eyes. Winter's succinct and straightforward narrative aptly describes the subject's childhood and the origins of her artistic nature. Juan borrows from the artist's own technique, using many of Kahlo's symbols in her illustrations, such as monkeys, skeletons, and jaguars. Juan has created whimsical, colorful characters to portray Frida's own fertile imagination. At times the drawings become very dramatic and convey Kahlo's inner strength and willpower. Mlawer's translation of Winter's straightforward, lyrical narrative is flawless, accurately conveying not only the content but the feel of the English original. Author and illustrator notes are included. An essential purchase for school and public libraries.
—Maria Mena, LeRoy Collins Leon Cty. P.L., Tallahassee, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Criticas

A picture-book homage to the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, whose indomitable spirit has become a revered icon for struggling women artists. The truncated text outlines her life in a simplistic style, relating her childhood illness and the almost-fatal school bus accident that left her in constant physical pain. It was her painting that saved her, becoming her imaginary friend. Instead of crying, she painted pictures of herself crying. The account ends with a description of her paintings as "exvotos": "magical scenes with words at the bottom, scenes of accidents with angels coming to the rescue. They are prayers for people who are sick." Neither her marriage to Diego Rivera nor her death is included. Like Kahlo's art, the illustrations are strikingly stylized. Done in acrylics and wax, they convey a surrealistic sensibility, using six traditional Mexican characters as a motif (e.g., skeleton, devil, jaguar) and portraying them as Kahlo's companions. The artwork lends an air of theatricality (her infamous eyebrows are depicted as the wings of a black bird) with the text scripting that effect: "She paints what she sees in her head-on top of what she sees with her eyes." The enticing cover depicts Kahlo as a child riding on a red bird while she is painting red birds in the sky. Explanatory notes from both author and illustrator provide context and import, citing biographical details and an artistic style that is a tribute to her. Her popularity has increased significantly in recent time-but who is the audience for this book? Certainly, the picture-book format can serve as an introduction to this exotic artist for young children, and kids may be intrigued by the unusual figures and inherentdrama. But it is more likely that older readers may develop an artistic curiosity and appreciation for this woman's provocative work. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews