I recently traveled to Mexico City to spend the holidays with my son and his wife who are currently living there. No trip to Mexico City is complete without a visit to Casa Azul in Coyoacan, which was the home of Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), who has long been one of my favorite artists. I love the very intimate nature of Kahlo’s paintings which are often self-portraits, done in a wonderfully magical style. Although her paintings are quite dreamlike, Frida stated, “I don’t paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.” I also admire Kahlo for the way she lived her life with abandon, despite the ever-present pain she was in and the many operations she endured throughout her life after surviving a catastrophic bus accident when she was a teenager. My trip inspired me to put together a list of books about Frida Kahlo that are in the youth collection at the Whitefish Bay Public Library.

Sewing is a fun, creative, relaxing, and easy (once you get the hang of it) craft to learn. It is also very satisfying to create something with your own hands for yourself and for others. You can sew clothes for yourself or your kids, home décor, stuffed animals, and much more! Sewing is also a great craft to teach children for building on creativity and problem solving abilities to practicing fine-motor skills.

Art is the self-expression of feelings, a vision, beauty, or a stance. Art can also unite communities when that art is placed in public view or brings the neighborhood together to create. This is a collection of picture books about inspired individuals and communities that used art as a way to improve their neighborhoods, share, and make a statement. These books are a great way to inspire children to create art of their own and have a voice.