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Diego
- By Jonah Winter
- Genre: Biography
Common Sense Media says
Bilingual text and mini-murals illustrate Rivera's story.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this reissued biography tells the simplified but true story of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. It is beautifully illustrated and won the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award. Though smaller kids will enjoy the art, the book is really better for school-age readers: It features some difficult material (Diego's twin brother dies as an infant, and his art depicts the hardships and violence experienced by the Mexican people through
paintings of soldiers shooting workers and revolutionaries blowing up a
train), and it introduces readers to the idea that art can be a type of activism (since Diego "helped the poor people fight their war for equality.") Because it's bilingual and written simply in both languages, it can
offer a valuable vehicle for practicing reading in English or Spanish.
What's the story?
To convalesce as a child, Diego is sent to the mountains, where he absorbs the magical beauty of the jungle and learns a love of the common people of Mexico. Back home again, he begins drawing, painting, and using color, but when he is sent to a local art school he is bored. He wants to paint the reality of life around him, and so he does. Diego goes on to study art in Paris, but misses Mexico. He loves the frescos he sees in the cathedrals of Italy, and decides to go back home where he spends his life developing murals that depict the lives of working-class Mexicans.
Is it any good?
DIEGO is a bilingual mural of words and illustrations that presents a simple, honest but eloquent introduction to the art of one of the world's most influential muralists, Diego Rivera. The straightforward story is told in both English and Spanish, and the richly colorful mini-murals that accompany the text are a perfect complement. Not everything in Diego Rivera's life and murals is for kids, and Jonah Winter has done a wonderful job of choosing pertinent material without watering down the facts. His text is clear, varied, and to the point; even some more mature material has been put together in a way that will interest kids, yet not overwhelm them.
Kids will also love the colorful, expressive illustrations, which add a heartbeat of richness and passion to the text. Each painting by Jeanette Winter is masterful. Her colors vibrate on the page, and, though small, each framed acrylic design is saturated with the beauty of Mexican folk art and shows an appreciation of the murals that Diego Rivera painted, some of which form the background in the later pages.
Each painting by Jeanette Winter is masterful. Her colors vibrate on the
page, and, though small, each framed acrylic design is saturated with
the beauty of Mexican folk art and shows an appreciation of the murals
that Diego Rivera painted.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about murals and what made Diego River become a muralist. Have you ever seen any of his work?
Why do you think the author chose to write this book both in English and in Spanish? Do you think that Diego Rivera would have appreciated hearing his story in his own language?
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| Author: | Jonah Winter |
| Illustrator: | Jeanette Winter |
| Book type: | Non-Fiction |
| Genre: | Biography |
| Publisher: | Knopf |
| Publication date: | January 9, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 40 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
| Read aloud: | 4 |
| Read alone: | 6 |
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