Pura Belpré Award

A presentation for 6th-8th grades by Beth Cline

History & SignificanceHistoria y Significado

• Named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library

• Established in 1996 by the American Library Association

• Presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work “best portrays and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth”

Who was Pura Belpré?¿Quién era Pura Belpré?

• Born February 2, 1903 in Cidra, Puerto Rico

• Raised on folktales that had been passed down through the generations to her grandparents and parents

• Began working as a “Hispanic assistant” with the New York Public Library in 1921

Who was Pura Belpré?¿Quién era Pura Belpré?

• Determined to bring Puerto Rican folklore and culture to the children of New York City

• Introduced bilingual story hours with puppets to attract the Spanish speaking families to the library

• Her first book, Pérez and Martina: A Puerto Rican Folktale, was published in 1932

Who was Pura Belpré?¿Quién era Pura Belpré?

• Wrote and translated several Hispanic picture books and folktales

• Received numerous honors and awards for her work

• Passed away peacefully in 1982

Winning BookLibro Ganador

2012Under the MesquiteGuadalupe Garcia McCall

When Lupita learns her mother has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student, starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, become less important than doing whatever she can to save Mami's life.

Winning BookLibro Ganador

2011The Dreamer

Pam Muñoz Ryan & Peter Sis

From the time he is a young boy, Neftali hears the call of a mysterious voice. He knows he must follow it--even when the neighborhood children taunt him, and when his harsh, authoritarian father ridicules him, and when he doubts himself. It leads him under the canopy of the lush rain forest, into the fearsome sea, and through the persistent Chilean rain, until finally, he discovers its source.

Winning BookLibro Ganador

2010Return to Sender

Julia Alvarez

After Tyler's father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. Tyler isn’t sure what to make of these workers. Are they undocumented? And what about the three daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but also increasingly connected her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in Mexico. Can Tyler and Mari find a way to be friends despite their differences?

Winning BookLibro Ganador

2002Esperanza Rising

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza thought she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

Winning BookLibro Ganador

1998Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida

Victor Martinez

Fourteen-year-old Manny Hernandez wants to be a vato firme, the kind of guy people respect. But that’s not easy when your father is abusive, your brother can’t hold a job, and your mother scrubs the house as if she can wash her troubles away. In Manny’s neighborhood, the way to get respect is to be in a gang. But Manny is not sure that joining a gang is the solution. Because, after all, it’s his life -- and he wants to be the one to decide what happens to it.

ReferencesReferencias

American Library Association. Pura Belpré award home page:http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal

Amazon.com

Google Translate. http://translate.google.com/?hl=en&tab=TT

New York Public Library. Pura Belpré : Children's librarian and champion of Puerto Rican folklore.http://kids.nypl.org/parents/ocs_centennial_belpre.cfm

Pura Belpré Glogster

http://www.glogster.com/clineb/pura-belpre-award/g-6lja8glscm99s664bdoaca0