It seems that no matter where you go, you are destined to see something related to the peerless Mexican artist Frida Kahlo—books, movies, ads, stickers, shows, and contemporary art inspired by her self portraits. Not so long ago, The New York Botanical Gardens hosted an exhibition inspired by her Casa Azul (Blue house) in Coyoacán and personal garden, along with some of her paintings.

This summer we went through a mini Frida obsession in Francis Martin Library. Over and over again, we remade some of her galvanized iconic unibrow filled images. After reading some books about her, we created paintings, collages, and small poems inspired by her work in our Art in the Library program.

Every Tuesday afternoon, we learn about a modern or contemporary artist and make something inspired by their work. Children had such a great time finishing their own versions of the Frida Kahlo coloring page that we decided to attach it below in case you'd like to reprint it at home.

NYPL has many books on Frida Kahlo—these are just some of the ones we read:

Counting with Frida = Contando con Frida by Patty Rodríguez & Ariana Stein
Although this is a short board book of numbers, the illustrations are simple and inspirational.

 

 

 

Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales; photography by Tim O'Meara

Written in verse, this bilingual poem is illustrated using dolls that were made to look like Frida. Great inspiration for writing simple poetry.

 

 

 

 

 

Me, Frida: Frida Kahlo in San Francisco by Amy Novesky; illustrated by David Diaz

This picture book retells Frida's experience in America and her sentiments after being only known for being Diego Rivera's wife. When in fact she was equally as talented and brilliant as Diego.

 

 

 

 

Frida Kahlo by Claudia Bauer

This one is found in the adult section and has mature content so it might not be suitable for a younger audience. But it does contain images of her paintings not otherwise found in children's books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography by Zena Alkayat; illustrations by Nina Cosford

Available as an e-book, this title comes with comical illustrations of Frida and important characters in her life.

 

 

 

 

 

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