Lulu Delacre

Lulu Delacre is an award-winning author and illustrator whose works include chapter books, picture books, YA books, and collections of songs and nursery rhymes. She has written and illustrated many of her books and also illustrated books by other authors, including The Storyteller's Candle by Lucía González and the acclaimed Turning Pages by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

In this interview, Lulu talks about her experiences growing up in Puerto Rico, her work, the treasures of the public library, and why familiar rhymes, games, and songs can help children build the skills they need to become strong readers.  The interview transcript can be found below.

Video Interviews

Biography

Lulu Delacre has been writing and illustrating children's books for almost thirty years, striving to create quality literature. Her Latino heritage and her wide-ranging life experiences inform her books.

Lulu Delacre' s many beloved books include Arroz con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America, a Horn Book Fanfare Book, and Salsa Stories, an IRA Outstanding International Book. The Bossy Gallito, Arrorró mi niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games, and The Storyteller's Candle are winners of the Pura Belpré Honor Medal for Illustration.

Alicia Afterimage, the author's latest work, is Delacre's first book for young adults. It was written in memory of her daughter, who was killed in a car accident at the age of sixteen. After Alicia' s death in 2004, Delacre interviewed twenty-two of her daughter's friends; the thoughts, emotions, and memories they shared became the basis for the book. "I believe that if this book helps bring some solace to others who must endure grief," she says, "it will have achieved its goal."

Delacre has lectured extensively throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and France. She is a grantee of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, and has been honored both as a " Maryland Woman in the Arts" and as a "Write from Maryland Author."

A native of Puerto Rico, Delacre now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.