Frida Kahlo's flower crown / by Nydia Armendia-Sánchez ; illustrated by Loris Lora

Flowers serve as an entry point to the life and paintings of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in this enchanting picture-book biography, starting with a double-page assembly of flowers headed, "Can you find all these plants & flowers within the book?" Many metaphors are used throughout to show Kahlo's growth from child to accomplished artist, as well as the events that sometimes threatened that growth, like the polio that withered one of her legs as a child or the streetcar accident that left her body broken "like a stem" as a young woman. After a long hospitalization, Kahlo, blooming again, returned to her garden, where she painted the plants, flowers, and monkeys surrounding her and gathered flowers for the elaborate crowns that appear in so many of her self-portraits. The illustrations wonderfully mimic Kahlo's magic realism sty for example, the first spread of Frida's parents holding her as an infant for a formal studio portrait has a coyote staring out from the facing page, and Kahlo's folk art symbols, like the tiny Day of the Dead skeletons, are scattered throughout. An author's note at the end explores Kahlo's connection with nature, and kids will find directions on how to make their own Frida-like crowns. An inspiring introduction to Kahlo.

Gr 1--3--In illustrations that positively blaze with saturated colors, Lora fills scenes from Frida Kahlo's life with native and cultivated trees, bushes, vines, flowers, and fruits--all stylized but recognizable (or identified on the endpapers), and reflected in the bright hues and patterns of the exuberantly posed, emphatically eyebrowed artist's dresses and gowns. The brief but luxuriant narrative adopts an appropriately botanical theme: Kahlo "sprouted/ and burst through the earth," "bloomed/ season after season,/ reaching for the sky," and notwithstanding a streetcar accident in which "her body broke like a stem," "bloomed" as an artist beneath elaborate flower crowns "rooted in love." Along with instructions to readers for constructing their own crowns, the book closes with an empowering challenge: "What if I were a little bold and a little brave every day, just like Frida? Imagine all that I could be." Though thin on specific biographical details, by calling attention to the bright, tropical hues of Kahlo and her work, this dazzling whirl of color can't help but kindle an urge to find out more. VERDICT Not so much a picture book biography as a soaring, enticing tribute to a strong and distinctive artist.--John Edward Peters

Flowery language traces the broad roots of Frida Kahlo's life. The renowned Mexican artist's life is retold from nascent bud to full bloom, with particular attention to her self-mythologized harmonious bond with nature and struggles against lifelong illnesses. Vibrant imagery marks her beginning: "Like a seed, / Frida sprouted / and burst through the earth / where / the coyotl once foraged." Kahlo's beatific childhood and her young adulthood in Coyoacán together shape the bulk of this biographic narrative, which briefly touches on her bout with polio. A burgeoning interest in flowers and plants blossoms as she visits a nearby park, as does Kahlo's eventual devotion to painting as she remains in bed recovering from a near-fatal streetcar accident. "Frida flourished / through painting and reconnecting / with nature, / with her ancestral soil." Referencing a litany of flora, Armendia-Sánchez moves on to the painter's garden, a site of inspiration and communion. At times, the emphasis on the featured plants and flowers threatens to overwhelm the otherwise delicate, opulent text. Still, Kahlo's remarkable artistic and personal triumphs keep it all intact. Lora's gouache artwork, a kaleidoscopic series of vignettes, emerges as an inspired highlight from page to page, bookended by fun, illustrated guides to all the flowers and plants included. A rosy view of an iconic artist. (author's note, instructions for making a flower crown, sources)(Picture-book biography. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.