Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos: The story of a painter and her pets

A new children’s book, Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, is based on the life of one of the world’s most influential painters, Frida Kahlo, and the animals that inspired her art and life.

The story by Monica Brown, with illustrations by John Parra, playfully considers how Kahlo embodied many characteristics of her beloved pets, including two monkeys, a parrot, three dogs, two turkeys, an eagle, a black cat, and a fawn.

Brown and Parra talk about their work.

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What drew you to the concept of Frida and her animals?

John Parra: I have been a fan of Frida Kahlo’s artwork for many years now and I am familiar with her life’s narrative.

I was inspired almost immediately when I heard about the book.

This story’s perspective of Frida includes her childhood, physical obstacles she faced and, most prominently, her journey in becoming this amazing artist, but it also describes her love and respect for animals, especially her many diverse and eclectic pets.

Frida’s experiences and personality are intertwined and mirrored in her many animals. It is in these inspirational aspects that intrigued me most about the story.

Why is this particular book important to you?

JP: The Frida story combines many aspects that I myself am drawn to. A passion for art, respect for animals and nature, and finding inspiration and independence through perseverance, gratitude and wonder.

These elements helped Frida in her life and I believe show the reader possible ways to address hardships that they … might encounter.

Monica Brown: This book is an homage not only to the brilliant Frida Kahlo but to my mother, Isabel Maria Brown, a Peruvian-born painter, who struggled all her life, and my own, with a serious illness.

Frida was one of her great inspirations in life and one of the comforts I found after my mother’s too-early passing was discovering the handwritten notes she wrote in Hayden Herrera’s seminal biography of Frida Kahlo.

Through my research, I discovered just how deep Frida’s love of her animal friends and muses were.

The more I researched, the more I studied her paintings, the more I knew that I wanted to share this aspect of her life with children.

While I was completing the book, my little nephew August, who my own mother never got to meet, defied the odds of a life-threatening illness, so I dedicated the book to him.

Frida’s life and my book offer a lesson for the ages that, despite pain, illness, and suffering, the world is filled with creativity, friendship and love — in so many places and between so many people and all living things.

How do you think it is different from the other books you have worked on together?

JP: Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos will mark the third picture book I’ve had the pleasure to work on with Monica.

Like this book, each of our previous collaborations has been based on biographies. I think what was different this time was how personal this project felt.

Since I was young, Frida’s art and life have had a huge impact on me as an artist with Mexican roots.

I know Monica’s mother, who was also an amazing painter and artist, was inspired by Frida as well. I find our book honors Frida’s life, art and love for animals in a unique and beautiful way.

MB: Over a decade ago, John and I published our first book together. This book is different from our other two collaborations because — since Waiting for the Biblioburro and My Name is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral — we’ve grown and changed, and life always infuses art.

In this book, we explore the marvelous real — lo real maravilloso — as we play with time. Frida’s animalitos watch over the scenes of her childhood as the narrative progresses and anticipate the arrival of her future muses, her animal loves. We tell the story of that affinity, along with the narrative of her youth.