Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Pura Belpré: Her Life and Legacy
Pura Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian to be hired by the New York Public Library system. A gifted storyteller and puppeteer, she celebrated the stories that had been handed down across generations of her family, and her story "Pérez and Martina," which she published in 1932, has become a classic of children's literature.
Pura Belpré also believed in welcoming everyone to the library, offering numerous programs and titles in Spanish to her neighbors at a time when such "community outreach" — especially to the Spanish-speaking community — was unheard of.
Learn more about Pura Belpré, her legacy of librarianship, and the children's book award in her honor from the following resources!
About Pura Belpré
The Storyteller's Candle / La velita de los cuentos
By: Lucía González
Illustrated by: Lulu Delacre
This is the story of librarian Pura Belpré, told through the eyes of two young children who are introduced to the library and its treasures just before Christmas. Lulu Delacre's lovely illustrations evoke New York City at the time of the Great Depression, as well as the close-knit and vibrant Puerto Rican community that was thriving in El Barrio during this time. Bilingual text.
Interviews with Lucía González & Lulu Delacre
Learn more about Pura Belpré from the author and illustrator of The Storyteller's Candle Lucía González and Lulu Delacre!
The full interviews with Lucía and Lulu are available in our Meet the Authors section.
The Pura Belpré Book Award
Celebrating Latino Cultural Experiences
The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.
A list of Previous winners of Pura Belpre Award is availabe on the ALSC website.
2012 Pura Belpré Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2012 Pura Belpré Award Winners! They include:
- Author Award: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- Author Honor Award: The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, by Sonia Manzano (better known as "Maria" on Sesame Street!)
- Illustrator Award: Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert, illustrated by David Diaz and written by Gary Schmidt
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