Guadalupe Rivera Marín, illustrated by Diego Rivera,
My Papa Diego and Me: Memories of My Father and His Art / Mi papa Diego y yo: Recuerdos de mi padre y su arte
Children’s Book Press, 2009.

Ages 6-12

Daughter of artist Diego Rivera, Guadalupe Rivera Marín uses her father’s paintings as the springboard for providing glimpses of her childhood and information about her father’s life and the culture of Mexico. Thirteen of Rivera’s paintings are discussed by Rivera Marín in a warm, inviting bilingual (English/Spanish) narrative. About “Women Combing Their Hair,” she writes, “In this picture, a mother is braiding her daughter’s hair… Back then… it wasn’t just uncommon to wear your hair long and loose. It was scandalous!” Writing about “Orange,” in which she is the subject, she says, “When my father was painting this picture, he gave me an orange to help keep me still… He got really annoyed with me because I ate the orange before he finished the painting!” A handful of small photographs accompany the introduction and endnotes of this lively volume.

Megan Schliesman
February 2010