The 2023 Pura Belpré Selection Committee invites all ALSC members to submit suggestions of titles to be considered for the 2023 Pura Belpré Award, presented 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.
Tag: pura belpre
Pura Belpré Award Celebración at #ALAAC22
The award ceremony for the Pura Belpré Award, also known as the ”Belpré Celebración” is a tradition on Sunday afternoons during Annual Conference, and one not to miss. This year’s event at the Renaissance Hotel resumed the celebration of ”excellence in books that portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.” Now that the Award includes three categories (Illustration, Author, and Young Adult) it is co-sponsored by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, ALSC, and YALSA. With the presence of one of the Award co-founders, Oralia Garza de Cortés, in the audience, REFORMA’s former President Ana-Elba Pavón presented her with a plaque in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Award in 2021. Medal winners Raúl the Third, for ¡Vamos!: Let’s Cross the Bridge, Donna Barba Higuera for The Last Cuentista, and Raquel Vasquez Gilliland for How Moon Fuentez Fell in…
Hispanic Heritage Month: Guided by our Leaders
Hispanic Heritage Month Continues! First, though, I always like to explain the “why”. Why, Jonathan must we celebrate this every year? Here’s a quote for you that encapsulates the “why” the best, IMHO: Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 every year. More than a time to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans, this is a time to celebrate the continued inclusion of diverse materials into your everyday programming. Inclusion does not have to be like hiding the pill. As a matter of fact, it should never feel forced. If it does not feel genuine to you, it will come across that way to your audience. So, how to proceed? Where do you seek inspiration or than this amazing blog? Inspiration from Leaders The 2018 Estela & Raúl Mora Award winners were announced just a few days ago. What better way to explore your options than to draw inspiration…
Hispanic Heritage Month 2018! İCelebramos!
Hispanic Heritage Month is here! Let’s celebrate! Hispanic Heritage Month comes every year, from September 15 to October 15. There’s tons we can do to celebrate, include our Hispanic patrons. Hispanic Heritage Month is about bringing everyone together to recognize all that Hispanic Americans have brought to American culture. And WHY celebrate, you may ask? — https://www.ajc.com/news/fast-facts-hispanic-heritage-month/lzbTmY6zExcR2wAmeb24wL/ Resources for All Not sure where to begin? Let’s start at the top! There’s a multitude of resources for all, whether you are confident in your Spanish or not. The Library of Congress has a great page complete with its own calendar that you could adapt to your own programming. Remember, this is about inclusion. Make our Hispanic patrons feel welcome, and relevant! The Library of Congress site has something for everyone. Select from images, to multimedia, to lesson plans that are easy to adapt to children’s programming. The Smithsonian Latino Center has another…
2018 Pura Belpre Award Celebracion
One of best sessions at each ALA Annual Conference #alaac18 is this Celebracion! Each author and illustrator gave insite into their work then we were treated to a performance by the folk group Vive Mi Terra from New Orleans. Their name — “Feel My Country” — is so apropos as we celebrate these latino titles and honor all children by celebrating mulicultural experiences. #alscleftbehind This post addresses the following ALSC Core Competencies: I. Commitment to Client Group and IV. Knowledge, Curation, and Management of Materials.
Celebrating Pura Belpré’s Birthday!
Celebrating Pura Belpré’s Birthday! February 2nd is Pura Belpré’s birthday – for those of you playing along at home, she’d have 119 candles on the cake! Continuing my unofficial, non-sequential series of how to incorporate multicultural offerings in every program, we’re going to see how we can make Pura’s award winners come to life! But first… Who was Pura Belpré? For those of you just joining us, Pura Belpré was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico. By serendipitous circumstances, she ended up in New York City for her sister’s wedding and was hired by a public library. Huge emphasis on this, folks: it was 1920 and they were looking to hire young women from ethnically diverse backgrounds! Imagine that! Almost 100 years ago! Her career took her from the Bronx to the Lower East Side, where she spread the love of stories in English and Spanish – which had never been done before. As…
Be Inspired By the 2016 ALSC Award Speeches!
Did you miss the ALSC media award acceptance speeches in Orlando? Or just want to enjoy them again at your leisure? PDFs of the Batchelder, Belpré, Caldecott, Carnegie, Geisel, Newbery, Sibert, and Wilder acceptance remarks are available below. Thanks to ALSC Marketing Intern Elizabeth Taft, we’ve also provided some images with quotes below. These inspiring quotes show the passion and dedication authors and illustrators bring to children’s literature. Download PDFs Download PDFs
Pura Belpré – Twenty Years of Conceptual Continuity
My wife was born in the same town, Cidra, the town of eternal springtime, in the east central mountains of Puerto Rico. I remember her delight when she learned of Pura, years later, when she was studying for her MLIS, and her joy at knowing of her connection with this legendary woman, that they had the same hometown. I am sorry, New York, though Pura called New York her home, like so many Nuyoricans, Puerto Rico will always be their spiritual home, even if they were born en la gran manzana.