Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales Elizabeth Bush Morales, Yuyi Viva Frida; illus. with photographs by Tim O’Meara. Porter/Roaring Brook, 2014 [40 p] ISBN 978-1-59643-603-9 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 2–5 In this exploration of the imagery of artist Frida Kahlo, brief two- or three-word sentences provide dreamlike narration, and mixed-media images follow Frida as she discovers and opens a bright yellow wooden chest, releasing a fantasy in which playfulness leads to knowledge, love, creativity, and ultimately, to her embrace of life. English text appears in a heavy font, with Spanish translation hovering behind in delicate whisper of script. For many readers, the spare stream of consciousness may add a level of perplexity that impedes immersion into the stunning visual reverie, which can be enjoyed as a wordless adventure. Stop motion “puppets” of Frida, husband Diego Rivera, and various pets interact with objects before a painted backdrop; scenes then segue into a dreamlike world, and finally return to three dimensional figures. Even the youngest viewers will sense that this luminous woman with the joyous expression is deeply in love with her art, her life, and her man. However, darker images, such as the arrow-pierced deer, hint at the more turbulent side of Frida’s life which remains unexplored and unexplained. It is this complete lack of context, which endnotes in English and Spanish do little to mitigate, that is likely to limit the audience to readers with at least passing recognition of the content of Frida’s paintings as well as an understanding of the infidelity and passion that culminate in Frida’s ecstatic reception of Diego’s tender kiss: “que amo/that [End Page 220] I love.” It therefore would be best used in conjunction with more traditional biographies of the artist, or with older readers of Catherine Reef’s Frida & Diego (BCCB 9/14), who will have the requisite background to parse both the pleasure and pain within the imagery and who may be inspired to head to a studio or maker space to embody their own dreams in visual medium. Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois