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By Romy Natalia Goldberg

What’s the Pura Belpré Award? If you don’t know…you should. The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latinx writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

We will be marking the award’s 25th anniversary in different ways on the blog. For now, here’s a starter for those who want to learn more about the life and legacy of this Puerto Rican icon.

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Books about Pura Belpré:

Planting Stories / Sembrando historias written by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar. Click on the links or cover for more information. For a review of Planting Stories, click HERE.

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The Story Teller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos written by Lucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Lulu Delcare. Click on the cover for more information.

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The Stories I Read to the Children: The Life and Writing of Pura Belpré, the Legendary Storyteller, Children’s Author and NY Public Librarian by Lisa Sánchez González.

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Releasing September 7, 2021: Pura’s Cuentos: How Pura Belpre Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories written by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Magalay Morales. Click on the cover for more information.

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The Pura Belpré Award

For a list of winners and honor books, click HERE or HERE.

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Books By Pura Belpré

 

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Romy Natalia Goldberg is a Paraguayan-American travel and kid lit author with a love for stories about culture and communication. Her guidebook to Paraguay, Other Places Travel Guide to Paraguay, was published in 2012 and 2017 and led to work with “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” and The Guardian. She is an active SCBWI member and co-runs Kidlit Latinx, a Facebook support group for Latinx children’s book authors and illustrators.