Congratulations! Pura Belpré Award Winners!

American Library Association 

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 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.

2019 Author Award Winner  

The Poet X, written by Elizabeth Acevedo and published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

The Poet X is a tale about Xiomara, an “unhide-able” Dominican who “…was a little too much body for such a young girl,” according to Mami. As she deals with her extremely religious mother and other challenges, Xiomara writes poetry, which becomes “the most freeing experience of [her] life.” The book was published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
“Acevedo’s strong character and her captivating story, told through intense and lyrical verses, champion poetry as a way to understand the world and one’s self,” said Dr. Caponegro.

2019 Illustrator Award Winner

Dreamers, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Yuyi Morales, and published by Neal Porter Books, Holiday House Publishing, Inc.
Dreamers is a tale about an immigrant mother and her son who were “[u]nable to understand and afraid to speak…” until they found the library. The books in the library taught them many things and gave them the confidence they needed to succeed and dream in their new country. The book was written by Yuyi Morales and published by Neal Porter Books, Holiday House Publishing, Inc.
“Morales’s stunning mixed media illustrations celebrate the power of children’s books and libraries and the ability of immigrants to create new lives and stories,” said Pura Belpré Award Committee Chair Dr. Ramona Caponegro.