The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented 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 the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA), an ALA affiliate.

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. As a children's librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Puerto Rican children in the U.S.A. through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore.

2011 Pura Belpre Author Award Winner

THE DREAMER
written by Pam Muñoz Ryan
illustrated by Peter Sis
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780439269704
Ages 9-12
384 pages
April 2010

From the time he is a young boy, Neftalí hears the call of a mysterious voice. Even when the neighborhood children taunt him, and when his harsh, authoritarian father ridicules him, and when he doubts himself, Neftalí knows he cannot ignore the call. Under the canopy of the lush rain forest, into the fearsome sea, and through the persistent Chilean rain, he listens and he follows…

2011 Pura Belpre Author Award Honors

90 MILES TO HAVANA
Enrique Flores-Galbis
Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 9781596431683
Ages 9-12
304 pages
August 2010

When Julian's parents make the heartbreaking decision to send him and his two brothers away from Cuba to Miami via the Pedro Pan operation, the boys are thrust into a new world where bullies run rampant and it's not always clear how best to protect themselves.

THE FIREFLY LETTERS: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba
Margarita Engle
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780805090826
Ages 10-up
160 pages
March 2010

The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 to learn about the people of this magical island, she is accompanied by Cecilia, a young slave who longs for her lost home in Africa. Soon Elena, the wealthy daughter of the house, sneaks out to join them. As the three women explore the lush countryside, they form a bond that breaks the barriers of language and culture.

OLÉ! FLAMENCO
written and illustrated by George Ancona
Lee & Low Books
ISBN: 9781600603617
Ages 8-12
48 pages
October 2010

FLAMENCO --- it's dancing, it's singing, it's guitar playing! It's a way of expressing oneself that has evolved from many influences over hundreds of years. Today flamenco is practiced throughout the world and all across the United States. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, we meet Janira Cordova, the youngest member of a company studying to perform flamenco. Here the students learn the tools of their art --- how to move their hands, arms, bodies and feet to the traditional rhythms of the music and songs. Each aspect of flamenco is explored in detail. The origins of the art form are also explained, which draw upon the musical traditions of Indian, Arab and North African cultures, among others. Janira's flamenco has progressed well, and at Santa Fe's annual Spanish Market in July, she finally has a chance to join the older dancers and perform in the town plaza.

2011 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Winner

GRANDMA’S GIFT
written and illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Walker Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780802720825
Ages 5-8
40 pages
October 2010

This prequel to Eric Velasquez's biographical picture book GRANDMA’S RECORDS is the story of a Christmas holiday that young Eric spends with his grandmother. After they prepare their traditional Puerto Rican celebration, Eric and Grandma visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a school project, where he sees a painting by Diego Velasquez and realizes for the first time that he could be an artist when he grows up. Grandma witnesses his fascination, and presents Eric with the perfect Christmas gift --- a sketchbook and colored pencils --- to use in his first steps toward becoming an artist.

2011 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Honors

DEAR PRIMO: A Letter to My Cousin
written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780810938724
Ages 5-8
32 pages
March 2010

From first-time Mexican author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh comes the story of two cousins, one in America and one in Mexico, and how their daily lives are different yet similar. Charlie takes the subway to school; Carlitos rides his bike. Charlie plays in fallen leaves; Carlitos plays among the local cacti. DEAR PRIMO covers the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of two very different childhoods, while also emphasizing how alike Charlie and Carlitos are at heart.

FIESTA BABIES
written by Carmen Tafolla
illustrated by Amy Cordova
Tricycle Press/Random House Children’s Books
ISBN: 9781582463193
Ages 4-8
24 pages
March 2010

These Fiesta Babies dance, march on parade and sing along to mariachi songs in their spirited celebration of fiestas. From piñatas to flower coronas, little ones are introduced to the many colorful aspects of an important and lively Latino cultural tradition.

ME, FRIDA
written by Amy Novesky
illustrated by David Diaz
Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780810989696
Ages 4-8
32 pages
October 2010

Like a tiny bird in a big city, Frida Kahlo feels lost and lonely when she arrives in San Francisco with her husband, the famous artist Diego Rivera. It is the first time she has left her home in Mexico. And Frida wants to be a painter, too.
 
But as Frida begins to explore San Francisco on her own, she discovers more than the beauty, diversity and exuberance of America. She finds the inspiration she needs to become one of the most celebrated artists of all time.