Diego Rivera: His World and Ours

By Duncan Tonatiuh

When I was in elementary school, my mom would come to our classrooms and share information that she knew about various artists and their histories for a special event called “Artist in the Classroom.” My mom’s love of art and art history rubbed of on me at a very young age and inspired me to paint and draw just like she did. One of her favorite artists to teach the class about was Diego Rivera, so I was intrigued when I saw a children’s book about his life. Rivera’s art has seemed to follow me all throughout my schooling, too. His works hung in my Spanish classrooms and we talked about his culture and beliefs and related them to others like himself.

Tonatiuh does an impeccable job of explaining the history of Diego’s life as well as his motivation to paint. Even though the book is biography oriented and focuses on how Rivera grew up and painted, Tonatiuh was able to incorporate a lesson as well. Tonatiuh uses Rivera’s story to show how important pride in one’s culture is and what it means to show the struggles and successes of one’s people. This book is both informative and entertaining and could inspire any young artist.