Pura Belbre Award Books

Pura Belpre Award and Honor Books

Annotated Bibliography 

1. Soto, G. (1995). Chato's Kitchen. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 

Even the slickest cat can get out smarted. Chato the cat gets a meal by sneaking up on sparrows and catching unsuspecting mice. One day a family of mice move in next door and Chato sees an opportunity to have a meal and is relishing on how easy it will be to have the mice as dinner. But the mice invite a friend from their old neighborhood that will turn the tables on Chato.

This is a funny story with a delightful twist. Gary Soto includes some Spanish phrases through out the book. This would qualify the book as bilingual. The characters Chato and Novio Boy are written with some rather broad stereotypes. I think that might have been the author's intention. That is the only critique I would make. The illustrations are bright, large, and follow along with the details in the story. The illustrations are what received the Pura Belpre medal.

This would be a fun book to share with a young audience and have them try to guess what Chato's intentions really are.

2. Lomas Garza, C. (1996). In My Family. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.

In My Family is a collection of short snippets of memories the author has of her life as a young girl. These recollections include watching her grandfather clean nopalitos, barbecues to celebrated birthdays, and how her family would prepare for a wedding. Each story is told in Enlish and translated into Spanish. 

This book would be beneficial to have in a bilingual class room. English language learners that speak Spanish can practice their English language reading fluency. In any classroom, this book would be good mentor text to discuss writing down memories, or journaling.  Students can see how  you could just start with a memory and expound upon that to write a memoir. 

I also believe this book is a good example to show another cultural present our country. Students can see how a family different from their's prepare for events like Easter and weddings. They then can compare it to how their family celebrates the same event. An awareness that our country is multicultural but still has common beliefs is important to teach in classrooms today.

The illustrations are all paintings by Carmen Lomas Garza too. There seem to be more details in the paintings than in some of her recollections. In fact some of her writings is just explaining what she put in the picture. They are not all written in narrative form.

3. Dorros, A. (2008). Papá and Me. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

It is very important that elementary age students be given multicultural books. They need to see themselves as much as possible to know that their lifestyle is a common one in the United States. This is a story about a boy and his father who spend the day together. They cook breakfast, go to the park, and ride the bus one day. The boy is so excited to be able to spend time with his father. The text is bilingual. The narrator speaks in English to the reader but in Spanish to his father. Exposure to more than one language can help increase fluency and build vocabulary. Once again it is the bright picutres that help tell the story. The pictures can help the non Spanish speaking students figure out what some of the words are that are spoken by the boy and his dad. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and festive. Students would enjoy looking at them during a read aloud.

It is so important for men especially minority men to be an active part n their children's especially their sons' lives. This book show the love between a father and son. Unfortunately many young boys do not get to experience this and grow up thinking that a relationship like this is not normal or shouldn't be expected. I think it is wonderful that not only does the book show a father son relationship they are a brown father and son. Books teach readers something even if it is not the intended message. When authors and illustrators make a conscious choice to include a minority in their art they are showing the world that that undeserved group is worthy to be acknowledged.

4. Mora, P. (2009). Gracias~Thanks. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books. Inc.

Written in free verse or prose. A young boy goes through a series of things around him and gives thanks. The explains shy he is so thankful for these things or people. For instance, "For the sun that wakes me up so I don't sleep for years and years and grow a long, white beard,thanks." The book is way to get students to look around them and find things to be grateful for. And to look for things that they may normally overlook and not think of as beneficial.

It is the illustrations in this book that have earned the Pure Belpré award. They are very bright  and once again help tell the story as they add more detail than what is written.

5. Alacórn, F. (2001). Iguanas in the Snow:And Other Winter Poems. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books.

Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems is a collection of poems set in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Poet Francisco Alarcón presents the poems in both English and Spanish offering readers a chance to experience the musicality of both languages.  Maya Gonzalez’ illustrations are colorful and playful.  In the afterword, parents will appreciate Alarcón’s explanation of where he got inspiration for his poetry.

6. Morales, Y. (2014). Viva Frida. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.

There are a tremendous amount of books written about Frida Kahlo. It seems that ever since publishers realized that biographies were a hot genre for elementary readers, she became a popular subject. She had a very interesting life. This book illustrates what kind of person Frida was more than it shares information about her life. Readers see that she was a smart, caring person, who observed the world around her.  It is written in very simple two or three word sentences for example " I search" or "I play". However it is the photographs that really tell Frida's story. The illustrations are a mixture of photographs of dolls and drawings. Through the illustrations we see Frida had a husband, cared for animals, and was an artist.

The words do not tell much about Frida but it is a beautiful book. Reading this out loud would be an interesting way to introduce Frida or to begin a class discussion on her life if you have already studied her

7. Dominguez, A (2013). Maria Had A Little Llama; María Tenía Una Llamita. New York, NY: Henry Holt & Co.

The traditional song Mary Had a Little Lamb is written in a delightful picture book in a new setting; Peru! This time it is Maria and she has a llama. The story is written one line per page in English. Then each line is translated into Spanish.  This is a good early reader for young students who are familiar with the song and can use the predictability of the text to help with accuracy. Bilingual classes can add this to their classroom library as well. Both English and Spanish speaking students would benefit from it.

The illustrations are the real asset of this story. They let the reader know the story is taking place in Peru. Ms Dominguez included it the way Maria and the teacher is dressed and  the appearance of the school. The character of Maria is the cutest character drawing I seen. Her wide smile on the front cover invites readers to open the book.

8. Tafolla, C. (2010). Fiesta Babies. New York, NY: Tricycle Press.

In Fiesta Babies written by Carmen Tafolla and illustrated by Amy Córdova, the babies enjoy the festivities of Fiesta in San Antonio.   They march in parades, sing mariachi songs, and dance two-by-two.  Written in delightful rhyme, Fiesta Babies provides parents an opportunity to introduce young children to poetry and fiesta.  The glossary of Spanish words at the back of the book is an excellent resource for helping young readers build their vocabulary.

A picture book small enough for small hands, this would be a good book to have in nurseries or early childhood classrooms. The babies are painted in bright colors. The San Antonio skyline is a backdrop. This is a cute book to add to a collection.

9. Tonatiuh, D. (2011). Dear Primo. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Charlie and his cousin Carlitos are cousins that live in separate countries. Charlie lives in the United States while Carlitos lives in Mexico. Through their letters the boys show how their lives are different but still very similar. One lives on a farm surrounded by animals. The other lives in a big city surrounded by skyscrapers. They still both go to school and play games with their friends. Both boys are so excited to read about each other's lives and eager to share their own that they resolve to have each other visit their city.

This book was written to shine a light on how lives in two separate countries are still basically the same. Each country has its unique way to celebrate. Each boy has toys, plays games, goes to school, and is expected to help their family. They just do it differently. ESL classes could use this to lead a discussion on cultural differences. I think if there was a student from Mexico they would enjoy reading a book that includes things they may have done or had in their former country.

The book is also bilingual. Students learning English would benefit from reading it because the author uses his story to explain what different English words and mean.  He also explains what is happening during some American traditions.  The author does the same thing for the Spanish words and cultural. So English students can learn Spanish as well. In fact each picture illustrating life in Mexico is labeled in Spanish. In essence those pages become a picture dictionary. 

The illustrations were recognized by the Pura Belpré committee. They are hand drawn then put together like a collage. They way Mr. Tonatiuh placed the characters' heads, and large hands and feet on the page made it seem like they were moving on the page. At least in my head, I pictured movement. The colors used help tell the story. Browns and oranges for the ones showing life in Mexico. Granite and grays for scenes in the big city.

10.  Krull, K (2003). Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc.

This is a biography on the life of Cesar Chavez. The author writes about Cesar's life from a young boy to the farm workers' march he led in California. Cesar and his family were doing rather well in Arizona, Then due to a drought they lost their farm and home. They were forced to move to California to look for work. As he got older, Cesar helped organize farm workers to ask for higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions. He helped to create the National Farm Workers Association. They gathered workers and organized a march from Delano to Sacramento. The march wasn't easy. It damaging to their bodies and not everyone agreed with what they were doing. By the time they reached Sacramento, word had spread about their working conditions. More people supported their cause. Cesar was able to negotiate with the farm owners and get  higher wages and better conditions for the workers.

I use this book every year when my class studies biographies. It won an illustrator honor award but the story is written well too. I believe students in 3rd grade or higher could read the story independently and gather a lot from it.