Viva Frida

                                                Viva Frida
Lexile Level: BR (Beginning Reader)

            This book is a bilingual book with no more than 4 words on each page. This book is written by Yuyi Morales and illustrated by the author as well. This book is based off a famous Mexican artist named Frida Kahlo. The images in the book are puppet like the woman puppet looks almost identical to the real life Frida. To read this book, the reader almost needs to illustrations to understand what is happening in the story. The overall theme of the book is to understand your surroundings and live through those surroundings. In the back of the book the author discusses why he chose to write about Frida.
 Is this a good story?
       I think this is a good book for children to read. This book has a diverse protagonist that lives through her surroundings, and is unapologetic for what she thinks. The story is based on a real woman that influenced Mexican Art.
Did the main character overcome the problem? Did it seem natural?
       The book does not really overcome any problems; it is more of a self-realization type of book. The character lines are “I am” “I search” “I see”. The reader needs to fill in the blanks by looking at the pictures to help with understanding. When I first read the book I felt that it was choppy and not natural, however, looking at the pictures really help guide the book.
What did the author want to tell me in the story? Was the theme worthwhile?
        The author's goal of the story is to tell more about Frida Kahlo. I think the theme of the story is worthwhile. I think some kids would really enjoy this book. It is a simple read but it does have a powerful message. The book deals with the Mexican culture. The book proudly portrays this. For example, the book has Spanish first, and then English.
Are the illustrations authentic and non-stereotypical?
       The book also shows culture appropriate outfits for its characters. The books illustrations are beautifully done, and it shows Frida’s life accurately.

            The book does not have many literally elements that are really shown in the book. The book includes the use of ellipses. I would teach students the purpose of doing this, and why the author chose to do this. Another thing, I think I would include is the use of exclamation points.  I would also include a lesson about why the story is in Spanish as well as English.
            The mini lesson I would chose to do with the students is to teach the history of Frida Kahlo. I would then have them write a story about her. They could choose to do it the same format that Morales did with a few words and pictures on each page or they could choose to write a paragraph on her. The students could also take one of Kahlo artwork and write a story about the artwork presented.

Citation:
Morales, Y. 2014. Viva Frida. Roaring Brook Press.