The Best Children's Books about Frida Kahlo

Happy birthday, Frida! Did you know that she would have been 115 years old today? In honor of the occasion, I've put together this massive list of the best children's books about Frida Kahlo.

And in case you missed it, yesterday I shared a list of Frida crafts for kids that you may enjoy sharing with your children. These books and crafts are great to read and do this week, but also any time during the year! 

There are SO many great books about the artist. I've linked to them on Amazon below, but seriously, you can request these titles from your local library or ask them to get them from another branch if they don't have them in stock. Sometimes, librarians will even put them on their "to purchase" list. 

This post uses affiliate links. 

Board Books about Frida Kahlo

Here are some excellent board books AND simple books written for children up to 5 years old. But older children may enjoy these titles, too!

I am Frida Kahlo (Ordinary People Change the World)
by Brad Meltzer

Frida Kahlo: A Kid's Book About Expressing Yourself Through Art
by Mary Nhin

Frida Kahlo: My First Frida Kahlo

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara 

My Little Golden Book About Frida Kahlo
Mi Little Golden Book sobre Frida Kahlo (Spanish edition)
by Silvia Lopez

Frida: Frida Kahlo: A Bilingual Book in English and Spanish
by Marisa Boan 

Picture Books about Frida Kahlo

For children ages 5 and older, these picture books are beautiful biographies to introduce children to Frida.

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos
Frida Kahlo Y Sus Animalitos (Spanish edition)

by Monica Brown

Frida Kahlo: The Artist who Painted Herself

by Margaret Frith

Frida Kahlo (Genius Series)

by Isabel Munoz

Little Frida: A Story of Frida Kahlo

by Anthony Browne

Chapter Books about Frida Kahlo

These books are best suited for children ages 8 to 12. They give great information about the artist while still incorporating outstanding illustrations.

The Story of Frida Kahlo: A Biography Book for New Readers

Frida Kahlo (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)

by Mike Venezia

Who Was Frida Kahlo?
by Sarah Fabiny

Frida Kahlo: The Artist in the Blue House

by Magdalena Holzhey

Graphic Novels about Frida Kahlo

Graphic novels are a fabulous way to encourage young readers. If these types of books excite you or your children, check out my Mega List of Spanish Comics for Kids.

Frida Kahlo: The Revolutionary Painter!

by James Buckley Jr.

Great Lives in Graphics: Frida Kahlo

by Button Books 

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Las vacas no pueden saltar - Cows Can't Jump

This is a sponsored book post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. It may use affiliate links.

I frequently get requests from bilingual families for book recommendations. And now that I have an almost preschooler in my house again, I'm always on the lookout for bilingual board books with full text in both English and Spanish. But they can be hard to find. So after I saw a copy of Las vacas no pueden saltar (aff link), I knew it was a good fit for MommyMaestra readers.

In fact, while I was looking at a review copy of the book, my 2-year-old walked into the room and immediately crawled onto my lap demanding that I read it to him. Which I was happy to do. When we finished, I asked him what he could and couldn't do. He said he couldn't fly, but that he could jump, jump, JUMP. (He then promptly proved it.)

Have you seen the English version, Cows Can't Jump, by Dave Reisman? Well, the bilingual version is even better because it allows bilingual families or classrooms to choose which language they want to focus on while reading. And the storyline is equally fun in both languages for little people with big imaginations. 

Reisman's book introduces children to animals and their abilities. You'll discover not only what specific animals can't do, but also what they CAN do. Check out this excerpt from the book...

"Los gorilas no pueden nadar...pero pueden columpiarse. Las jirafas no pueden columpiarse...pero pueden galopar.

Gorillas can't swim...but they can swing. Giraffes can't swing...but they can gallop." 

And so this book goes, on and on, animal after animal, teaching children all about animals and their special skills. Beautiful in its simplicity, the literacy nut in me delights in all the action verbs that children learn about as they go through the book.

For these exact reasons, this book is a treasure for language learners, also. What a great way to teach vocabulary - especially Spanish reflexive verbs!

The illustrations are engaging, too. Each page shows the subject animal doing - or not doing as the case may be - the various activities. Take a look...

What I love best about this book is how it prompted my toddler to go and find all his animal figures and start playing with them. Imaginative play is so important! And that, to me, is what makes a book a keeper.

Las vacas no pueden saltar / Cows Can't Jump is available both in paperback and board book versions.

Make & Play Nativity

I love collecting nacimientos (nativities). I have quite a few in my collection. So when I saw this, I was excited because it is a great way for me to pass on my love of them to my kids.

Make & Play Nativity (aff link) by Joey Chou is an interactive book with press-out pieces that assemble to make 20 figures for a 3D nativity. They are pretty simple - most only have three pieces to put together (the manger is the only one with more and it comes with directions for putting together the five sections). And they press out very easily without ripping. So this book is perfect for little hands.

I sat down with my 2-year-old and helped him assemble these pieces.

And the book also comes with additional activities. There is, of course, the nativity story, to read with your child after you have assembled your pieces and set them up. Then you can sing one of four carols - the lyrics are included.

Older children can go on to do one (or all!) of the crafts listed in the book, such as making a Christmas star or advent calendar.

And I was delighted to discover that all the pieces fit back inside the book, so when the season is over, I can put them back in and save it for next year! With a little care, this book should last for several years.

Overall, this little board book is just a gem for children. It is probably best suited for kids 3 to 7 years old, though you can enjoy it with your 2-year-old, as I did, and some older kids might enjoy the activities, too.

You still have time to get this book before Christmas if you use Amazon's Prime 2-day shipping.

Skeletitos: Make Every Moment Count

If you haven't heard, the lovely people over at Canticos have launched a new line of products. Skeletitos is a new set of stories with a Day of the Dead theme.

The first book was published this month. Skeletitos: Make Every Moment Count is a fun little board book that has a unique presentation.

First, at the beginning, you can find a link to the Skeletitos website that offers free downloadable activities (coloring pages and cut-out masks) to accompany the book. You also find out that there is a Skeletitos app available on the App Store and Google Play. This will allow your kids to sing along as you/they read the book.

There's also a page dedicated to space where your child can draw their own face in the picture frame. Will they choose a calavera face? I recommend that you take the time to read the book together first to inspire their imagination before pointing out this page to them.

Then the actual story begins. Susie Jaramillo (the author and illustrator) already has a way of presenting board books in an unusual way. Her Canticos line contains accordion-fold board books that can be read one way in English and the other way in Spanish.

Susie continues that interactive board book approach by having the inner pages fold out. And the first official page of the story folds out into a manipulable clock, which you can then leave open as you read the book. It is so much fun!! AND educational! On each page, the clock strikes a different hour and the skeletitos do something different. Your children can change the hands on the clock to match each hour and thereby learn to count and/or how to tell time as they read this book. 😍

Check out this video from their YouTube channel:



I believe they have seven books in this series planned and the next one debuts next year and features the adventures of Skeletina.

Anyway, it is because of the unusual but engaging presentation of this book and its fantastic educational component that I have added this to my list of favorite books for Day of the Dead.

It is available at Target and Amazon:

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Dual-Language Board Books

Quite a few remarkable new titles have been released just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month. And I'll be sharing a lot of them here over the next few weeks.

The first set is a pair of bilingual board books by my favorite U.S. Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera. He served as the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. I think he was the first Hispanic to do so.

Herrera is a prolific author whose work includes quite a few children's books. But I believe these are his first board books for little ones.

It's easy to figure out what they are about. Cerca, Close and Lejos, Far (aff links) are short, sweet stories that help young readers understand the concepts described in the titles. A single illustration takes up two pages and each one has one sentence. Take a look:

I love that the books contain full text in both English and Spanish. And I find the illustrations to be lovely in their simplicity with a strong focus on shapes.

These are a great addition to any home or school library, especially because the concepts of near/close and far are not easily found in books but are both important concepts for toddlers and preschoolers to master.

You can find them on Amazon: