2015 Belpré Award Honors Latino Auhors and Illustrators of Kids" Books
Viva Frida - 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner
The 2015 Pura Belpré award-winning Latino and Latina authors and illustrators and their books provide an enriching window on Latino culture and history in a variety of locations and time periods. (What is the Pura Belpré Award?)
Title: Viva Frida
Author and Illustrator: Yuyi Morales has received numerous awards for illustration, including the 2014 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for Niño Wrestles the World and 2010 Pura Belpré honors for My Abuelita, which was written by Tony Johnston.
Photography: Tim O’Meara, Yuyi Morales’ husband, photographed Morales’ 3D and 2D illustrations.
Summary: Viva Frida is a stunning picture book that celebrates the creative life of artist Frida Kahlo. This bilingual book with less than 30 words of text emphasizes the artist’s creative influences. The artwork features a doll handmade by Yuyi Morales in the image of Frida Kahlo, along with models and paintings of other objects and images that were important to the Mexican artist.
The illustrations consist of beautifully photographed scenes of the doll in various dreamlike settings, along with paintings of Kahlo by Yuyi Morales. At the end of the book is an essay by Morales in which she discusses Frida Kahlo’s life and art and the impact the artist had on her life, as well as the lives of many other artists.
Length: 40 pages
Format: Hardcover (also several e-Book formats)
Recommended for: While the publisher recommends the book for ages 4 to 8 and I do think it will appeal to some, I think the book’s major appeal will be to older children, teens and adults interested in art and the creative process, particularly fans of the art of Frida Kahlo.
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Book Press
Publication Date: 2014
ISBN: 9781596436039
Little Roja Riding Hood - 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
Little Roja Riding Hood Summary
Little Roja Riding Hood is an entertaining take on the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood. The picture book is sprinkled with lots of Spanish words, but the illustrations and context clues keep the story moving without a pause. The illustrations also have a Latino flair and lots of funny details. This is a good book for ages 4 to 8, as well as older children learning English or Spanish.
Susan Guevara is the illustrator of Little Roja Riding Hood and the author is Susan Middleton Elya. Susan Guevara has twice won the Pura Belpré Award for Illustration for Chato’s Kitchen and Chato and the Party Animals. (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2014. ISBN: 9780399247675)
Green Is a Chile Pepper - 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
Green Is a Chile Pepper Summary
Green Is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors is a delightful concept book for young children with an Hispanic flair in both words and pictures. With rhyming verse and colorful folk art illustrations, the author and illustrator celebrate colors and Latino culture. The Spanish words in the English verses are fully defined in a glossary at the end of the book.
The name of each color is provided in English and Spanish on the double-page spread that contains a lively illustration featuring the color.
The illustrations feature a variety of family activities, from preparing and enjoying a meal to celebrating the Day of the Dead. The colors featured are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown and white.
Author Roseanne Greenfield Thong and illustrator John Parra also created the award-winning concept book Round Is a Tortilla. Other children's books written by Thong include: 'Twas Nochebuena, Noodle Magic, Fly Free! and Wish. John Parra has received numerous awards for his illustrations, including 2010 Pura Belpré honors for Gracias/Thanks by Pat Mora. Other books illustrated by Parra include Waiting for the Biblioburro and My Name is Gabriela/Me llamo Gabriela, both by Monica Brown.
(Chronicle Books, 2014. ISBN: 9781452102030)
Separate Is Never Equal- 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
Separate Is Never Equal Summary
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation is a fascinating book in picture book format about a very important, but little known, moment in American history. Did you know that in California, there were segregated schools for Mexican children, including children of Mexican descent who were American citizens? Thanks to Sylvia Mendez's family, who organized a lawsuit, and others, segregated schooling in California ended in 1947.
The wonderful illustrations by Duncan Tonatiuh, who was born and grew up in Mexico, add a great deal to the book's impact. Tonatiuh's distinctive style, the varied textures in each spread, the muted colors and the period details combine to create artwork that grabs the reader's attention. The artist drew the illustrations and, then, created collages and colored them digitally. Extras at the end of the book include the Author's Note, with information about the Menedez case and present-day segregation; a page of photographs, including several of Sylvia Mendez; the Glossary, Bibliography and Index. I recommend the book for ages 8 to 12.
Duncan Tonatiuhhas won numerous awards for his children's books.For example, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale, which he also wrote and illustrated, was both a 2014 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book and a 2014 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book. He also won the 2012 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for his book Diego Rivera: His World and Ours.
(Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS, 2014.
ISBN: 9781419710544)
Title:I Lived on Butterfly Hill
Author: Marjorie Agosín, who is from Chile, is the Luella LaMer Slaner Professor in Latin American Studies and Professor of Spanish. In describing her writing for adults, as well as I Lived on Butterfly Hill, Agosin said, "All of these works have as a unified theme the pursuit of social justice and human rights." (Source: Wellesley College)
Illustrator: Artist Lee White has illustrated about a dozen children's picture books.
Summary: When political turmoiI hits Chile, eleven-year-old Celeste Marconi's happy life with her parents in coastal Valparaiso is utterly changed. With the country taken over in a military coup, Celeste's parents, doctors who supported the previous government, are forced into hiding and Celeste ends up being sent to America for her safety.
After two years in coastal Maine living with her aunt and having endured a long period of adjustment, the dictatorship in Chile is overthrown, and Celeste is sent home. There she confronts a great deal of change and the need to find her missing parents. This is a long and beautifully written book that is loosely based on Chilean history.
Format: Paperback (also available in e-book format)
Recommended for: The publisher recommends the novel for grades 5-9. You are most apt to find the book shelved in the young adult/teen section in your local public library rather than the children's section.
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
Publication Date: 2014
ISBN: 9781416994022
Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes Summary
The twenty Hispanic and Latino American women and men featured in Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes have had a significant impact on politics, the government, athletics, civil rights, the arts, science and more. In addition to the profiles by Juan Felipe Herrera, you'll find striking portraits by Raúl Colón and a timeline. Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) published the book in 2014.
The ISBN is 9780803738096.
Inroduction
The 2015 Pura Belpré award-winning Latino and Latina authors and illustrators and their books provide an enriching window on Latino culture and history in a variety of locations and time periods. (What is the Pura Belpré Award?)
Title: Viva Frida
Author and Illustrator: Yuyi Morales has received numerous awards for illustration, including the 2014 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for Niño Wrestles the World and 2010 Pura Belpré honors for My Abuelita, which was written by Tony Johnston.
Photography: Tim O’Meara, Yuyi Morales’ husband, photographed Morales’ 3D and 2D illustrations.
Summary: Viva Frida is a stunning picture book that celebrates the creative life of artist Frida Kahlo. This bilingual book with less than 30 words of text emphasizes the artist’s creative influences. The artwork features a doll handmade by Yuyi Morales in the image of Frida Kahlo, along with models and paintings of other objects and images that were important to the Mexican artist.
The illustrations consist of beautifully photographed scenes of the doll in various dreamlike settings, along with paintings of Kahlo by Yuyi Morales. At the end of the book is an essay by Morales in which she discusses Frida Kahlo’s life and art and the impact the artist had on her life, as well as the lives of many other artists.
Length: 40 pages
Format: Hardcover (also several e-Book formats)
Recommended for: While the publisher recommends the book for ages 4 to 8 and I do think it will appeal to some, I think the book’s major appeal will be to older children, teens and adults interested in art and the creative process, particularly fans of the art of Frida Kahlo.
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Book Press
Publication Date: 2014
ISBN: 9781596436039
Little Roja Riding Hood - 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
Little Roja Riding Hood Summary
Little Roja Riding Hood is an entertaining take on the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood. The picture book is sprinkled with lots of Spanish words, but the illustrations and context clues keep the story moving without a pause. The illustrations also have a Latino flair and lots of funny details. This is a good book for ages 4 to 8, as well as older children learning English or Spanish.
Susan Guevara is the illustrator of Little Roja Riding Hood and the author is Susan Middleton Elya. Susan Guevara has twice won the Pura Belpré Award for Illustration for Chato’s Kitchen and Chato and the Party Animals. (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2014. ISBN: 9780399247675)
Green Is a Chile Pepper - 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
Green Is a Chile Pepper Summary
Green Is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors is a delightful concept book for young children with an Hispanic flair in both words and pictures. With rhyming verse and colorful folk art illustrations, the author and illustrator celebrate colors and Latino culture. The Spanish words in the English verses are fully defined in a glossary at the end of the book.
The name of each color is provided in English and Spanish on the double-page spread that contains a lively illustration featuring the color.
The illustrations feature a variety of family activities, from preparing and enjoying a meal to celebrating the Day of the Dead. The colors featured are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown and white.
Author Roseanne Greenfield Thong and illustrator John Parra also created the award-winning concept book Round Is a Tortilla. Other children's books written by Thong include: 'Twas Nochebuena, Noodle Magic, Fly Free! and Wish. John Parra has received numerous awards for his illustrations, including 2010 Pura Belpré honors for Gracias/Thanks by Pat Mora. Other books illustrated by Parra include Waiting for the Biblioburro and My Name is Gabriela/Me llamo Gabriela, both by Monica Brown.
(Chronicle Books, 2014. ISBN: 9781452102030)
Separate Is Never Equal- 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
Separate Is Never Equal Summary
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation is a fascinating book in picture book format about a very important, but little known, moment in American history. Did you know that in California, there were segregated schools for Mexican children, including children of Mexican descent who were American citizens? Thanks to Sylvia Mendez's family, who organized a lawsuit, and others, segregated schooling in California ended in 1947.
The wonderful illustrations by Duncan Tonatiuh, who was born and grew up in Mexico, add a great deal to the book's impact. Tonatiuh's distinctive style, the varied textures in each spread, the muted colors and the period details combine to create artwork that grabs the reader's attention. The artist drew the illustrations and, then, created collages and colored them digitally. Extras at the end of the book include the Author's Note, with information about the Menedez case and present-day segregation; a page of photographs, including several of Sylvia Mendez; the Glossary, Bibliography and Index. I recommend the book for ages 8 to 12.
Duncan Tonatiuhhas won numerous awards for his children's books.For example, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale, which he also wrote and illustrated, was both a 2014 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book and a 2014 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book. He also won the 2012 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for his book Diego Rivera: His World and Ours.
(Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS, 2014.
ISBN: 9781419710544)
Title:I Lived on Butterfly Hill
Author: Marjorie Agosín, who is from Chile, is the Luella LaMer Slaner Professor in Latin American Studies and Professor of Spanish. In describing her writing for adults, as well as I Lived on Butterfly Hill, Agosin said, "All of these works have as a unified theme the pursuit of social justice and human rights." (Source: Wellesley College)
Illustrator: Artist Lee White has illustrated about a dozen children's picture books.
Summary: When political turmoiI hits Chile, eleven-year-old Celeste Marconi's happy life with her parents in coastal Valparaiso is utterly changed. With the country taken over in a military coup, Celeste's parents, doctors who supported the previous government, are forced into hiding and Celeste ends up being sent to America for her safety.
After two years in coastal Maine living with her aunt and having endured a long period of adjustment, the dictatorship in Chile is overthrown, and Celeste is sent home. There she confronts a great deal of change and the need to find her missing parents. This is a long and beautifully written book that is loosely based on Chilean history.
Format: Paperback (also available in e-book format)
Recommended for: The publisher recommends the novel for grades 5-9. You are most apt to find the book shelved in the young adult/teen section in your local public library rather than the children's section.
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
Publication Date: 2014
ISBN: 9781416994022
Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes Summary
The twenty Hispanic and Latino American women and men featured in Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes have had a significant impact on politics, the government, athletics, civil rights, the arts, science and more. In addition to the profiles by Juan Felipe Herrera, you'll find striking portraits by Raúl Colón and a timeline. Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) published the book in 2014.
The ISBN is 9780803738096.
