Diego Rivera: His World and Ours

I’m trying to get some planning done in advance for a recycling art program in April and I came across an amazing book about Diego Rivera by Duncan Tonatiuh entitled Diego River: His World and Ours.  This book would be a great introduction into the art of Diego Rivera for young elementary school students.  It discusses Rivera’s work and then begins to compare his work to present day scenes that he might have painted if he were still alive.

The illustrations done in a unique style are very colorful and inviting to the eye.  My only concern with the book was that there were few actual prints of Rivera’s work, which I would have liked to see, but those prints can always be found online.  The book is well-organized and very fun – kids would be able to easily relate to the things Rivera painted.

Living so close to Philadelphia, I think I’m going to have to provide an art class that discusses murals.  Philadelphia has a number of murals.  In 1984, the mayor reached out to a muralist and in turn graffiti artists around the city to create murals in almost every neighborhood in Philadelphia.  Throughout the city, you will find over 3,000 murals painted on buildings, bridges, and pretty much anywhere you can find the space.  I think that this Diego Rivera book would fit in perfectly to a program about murals and nearby, Philadelphia.

For more information about the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, check out their website.  For more information about the author/illustrator, check out Duncan Tonatiuh’s website.

Title: Diego Rivera: His World and Ours
Author: Duncan Tonatiuh
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2011
Page Number: 40 pgs.