Pura Belpre Awarded Books

                

	What Can You Do with a Rebozo? Tafolla, C., & Córdova, A. (2008). What Can You Do with a Rebozo? Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press. This story is about the many ways you can use a rebozo, which is Spanish for a shawl. In the story, a young girl tells all the ways that her mother uses the shawl, and there is one part where the father uses it to clean up some spilled ketchup. Thank goodness, her dad was able to clean and wash the shawl so that way her mother would have it longer. I enjoyed reading how the little girl used the red and blue shawls to play with her younger siblings, but the best part was how much the girl loved the shawl because it reminded her of her mother all the time. The memories she formed with the shawl are forever etched onto her heart. One of the things I liked about the story was how the illustrator could add so much detail to each part of the story. The pictures and text flowed nicely like the shawl in the story. I also learned some valuable lessons when it comes to using a shawl.
	Viva Frida! Morales, Y., & O'Meara, T. (2014). Viva Frida! New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press. This colorful bilingual tale depicts a day with Frida. The book uses both English text and translates it into Spanish. The story uses photography by Tim O’Meara to show what Frida is doing in the story. This form of illustration really brings the story to life, and many readers will enjoy to see an animated Frida go about her day. Towards the end of the book there’s a message from the author about Frida Kahlo, and her reason for writing a story about her. I enjoy reading this short story and learning some of the Spanish words written within the text. Also, the message at the end of the story was very informative and I believe young readers would appreciate this added part of the story. Yuyi Morales is truly a brilliant author who makes her stories come to life.
	Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book Morales, Y. (2003). Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. This delightful trickster tale is about a skeleton, Señor Calavera, who has come to take Grandma Beetle to the next place. Of course, little does Señor Calavera know that Grandma Beetle will trick him into staying at her home as she does all these chores or tasks. The story uses both English and Spanish counting numbers as Grandma Beetle does each task and Señor Calavera also counts in Spanish as she completes every task and he then tries to take her away, but alas Grandma Beetle moves onto another task. All these tasks lead up to a party with Grandma Beetle’s grandchildren and she invites Señor Calavera to joy the celebration of Grandma Beetle’s birthday. In the end, Señor Calavera doesn’t take Grandma Beetle because of how much fun he had at her birthday and he promises to come back next year. This trickster tale by Yuyi Morales is a delightful story with blast of color and art. I’ve enjoyed reading most of Yuyi Morales books because of the way she writes and how the illustrators bring her stories come to life.
	Niño Wrestles the World Morales, Y. (2013). Niño Wrestles the World. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press. Nino wrestles the world is a funny story about a little boy who thinks he’s a luchador. His imaginary luchador fighters that he fights against have great names and different fight skills. This young boy comes up with different ways to fight his competitors and he defeats all of them except the last two competitors who happen to be his twin sisters, Las Hermanitas, is their luchador name. At the end of the story it has some information on the Lucha Libre which informs young readers about the masked fighters.  This is a delightful tale which the author uses onomatopoeias to showcase the fighting moves similar to those we see in comics and the old Batman TV show.
	The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes Tonatiuh, D. (2016). The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers. This is folktale is about a beautiful gracious princess who is looking for true love. Princess Izta has many suitors who try to convince her to marry them instead she falls in love with a brave warrior, Popoca, who fights in her father’s army. The emperor doesn’t want his precious daughter to marry a mere warrior, so he strikes a deal with Popoca who must defeat their worst enemy, Jaguar Claw, in order to marry Izta. Popoca does defeat the Jaguar Claw, but the leader of the Claw isn’t happy to be defeated. Find out how the Claw got their revenge on Popoca. I loved reading this story and the media that was used to create the illustrations for the tale. I think most people wouldn’t realize that many cultures have their own tale on how things were created or came to be.
	My Abuelita Johnston, T., Morales, Y., & O'Meara, T. (2009). My Abuelita. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Children's Books. This beautiful tale is about a little boy and his grandmother (Abuelita) who live together. The story starts with the little boy describing his grandmother’s appearance and a funny comparison to a chile. The story also goes into detail about how the Abuelita and her grandson starts there day with physical and vocal stretches, and it continues to taking a bath and shower to wake them up. After the bathroom routine, the Abuelita and her grandson continue with their singing warm-ups, because this helps his grandmother get ready for work. Find out what she’s about to sing for work? The use of color and mixed media creates a great animated story that comes to life. Both characters seem so life like and lovable that any reader will enjoy how they begin their day.
	Papá and Me Dorros, A., & Gutierrez, R. (2008). Papá and Me. New York, NY: Rayo: HarperCollins. This book is about a father and son who spend the day together. The story uses a mix of both English and Spanish to show how the father only speaks Spanish while the little boy is bilingual. This is a great way for young readers to learn Spanish as they read the story. Papá and Me also illustrates how a father and son spend the day together singing, cooking breakfast, traveling to the park, tracing pictures in the sand, and finally traveling on the bus to the boy’s grandparents’ house. The delightful story really comes alive with the mixed media and the colors that are used add to the stories imagery. The author uses his own experience to recount a great day that was spent with his own father, and this story makes any reader think of their own father or father figure in their life. This story made me recall my own days that I spent with my dad as a young girl, and that’s a good thing for young readers to have.
	In My Family Garza, C. L., Schecter, D., Alarcón, F. X., & Rohmer, H. (1996). In My Family: En Mi Familia. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press. This enchanting bilingual story is about a young girl recounting her favorite Hispanic tradition’s in Texas that her and her family does. This book uses both English and Spanish text to recounting events that make the story. The added illustrations and pictures allow the reader to understand what the author is describing while also teaching Spanish words to those who may not know what the words mean. At the end of the story there’s a questionnaire part where the author, Carmen Lomas Garza, answers questions from the children who have wrote to her. I really liked that she added that questionnaire part, because it makes her feel real and readers will get to know a little more about her.
	Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day Mora, P., & López, R. (2009). Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day; Celebremos El Dia de Los Ninos/El Dia de Los Libros. New York, NY: HarperCollins. This colorful story is about a celebration of books and reading your favorite books that day. Children in the story can read in English, Spanish, Chinese, and even Navajo too. They can read either by themselves or with a friend, and read anywhere they want. The story also shows the text in both English and Spanish. Any reader would enjoy the thought of reading a book on a elephants back, with whale, or evening reading in a submarine. Find out what or where else you can to celebrate Book Fiesta day. I enjoyed reading this short story because of the illustrations that is being used makes the story eye-appealing. It’s very colorful and great to read.
	Gracias Thanks Mora, P., Parra, J., & Domínguez, A. (2009). Gracias Thanks. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books. This delightful tale is about a multicultural boy who shows his thankfulness by thanking everything he comes across. The young boy thanks the sun for waking him up so he doesn’t miss anything, and he begins the day with going outside to thank a little lady bug for its flying surprise. Find out what else the little book is thankful for and why. This story is supposed to make a reader to be thankful for every day and what they do each day. At the end of the story there’s an author note that asks what the reader is thankful for and it continues with what the author is thankful for which makes the author more relatable and real.