My Animalitos: A Frida Kahlo Story
Baby Books
Meet renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and all of her animal friends in this board book inspired by the Pura Belpré Honor-winning Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos.
There’s no one Frida Kahlo loves more than her animal friends—her beloved animalitos. In this board book, toddlers will learn to identify the different animals Frida kept as pets throughout her life: from a dog and a cat to a parrot and a turkey. Each animal also represents Frida’s many characteristics, from her strength and independent to her profound intelligence, with each page reading as an affirmation for toddlers to repeat as they grow—just as we see Frida grow throughout the story.
Award-winning creators Monica Brown and John Parra have made a board book to honor the legacy of Frida Kahlo and inspire confidence and imagination in a new generation of creatives.
Praise for Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos:
Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor 2018
ALA Notable Children's Book 2018
New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2017
Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2017
Smithsonian Top Ten Best Children's Book of 2017
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year 2018
Creators
Monica Brown, Ph.D., is the award-winning author of Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos/Frida Kahlo y sus animalitos, Waiting for the Biblioburro/Esperando al Biblioburro, Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no combina, and the Lola Levine chapter book series, including Lola Levine is Not Mean, Lola Levine, Drama Queen, and Lola Levine and the Ballet Scheme. Her books have garnered starred reviews, the Américas Award, two Pura Belpré Author Honors, and the prestigious Rockefeller Fellowship on Chicano Cultural Literacy. She lives in Arizona with her family and teaches at Northern Arizona University.
John Parra is an award-winning, best-selling illustrator, designer, fine artist, author, and educator celebrated for his vibrant, Latino-themed children's picture books. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has received numerous prestigious accolades, including the New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award, two SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, three ALA Pura Belpré Honors, two Christopher Awards, the Tomás Rivera Book Award, and the Américas Award. In 2015, John was invited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to present a special event about his work and career in art and illustration, and in 2017, his art appeared on six Forever postal stamps from the USPS titled “Delicioso.” John Parra currently resides in Queens, New York, with his wife, Maria. Visit JohnParraArt.com.
Reviews
Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette.
Vicky Smith, Kirkus Reviews
With their folk-art sensibility, Parra’s elegant acrylic paintings evoke Kahlo’s style, her palette and her Mexican environment, but he creates a mood of harmony with the natural world and a lively, cheerful abundance all his own.
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books 2017
This unique and gorgeous take on the famous figure’s work will give children an accessible entry point to an important artist. A good choice for picture book biography shelves.
Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal
Parra’s warm, weathered paintings are done in a flattened, folk-art style that vividly evokes the Mexican environment and ‘heritage of which she was very proud.
Publishers Weekly
Featuring charming visuals and lively, often lyrical prose, this picture book introduces Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, interweaving biographical details while highlighting her special relationships with pets…Rich-hued, folk art–style illustrations incorporate evocative touches, fanciful details, and collagelike compositions.
Booklist
