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List: Pura Belpré Author & Illustrator Award Winners, 1996-Present


A photo of The Last Cuentista

The Last Cuentista

"A girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children -- among them Petra and her family -- have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet -- and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard -- or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again? " -- Publisher's description.

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A photo of ¡Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge

¡Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge

Little Lobo and Bernabé are bringing supplies to the big celebration in the country across the bridge -- but everyone else seems to be going, too! During the long delay, they see all kinds of people on the bridge for different reasons and speaking different languages, but when someone has a grumpy moment, they all come together to make the wait as good as can be.

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A photo of Efrén Divided

Efrén Divided

While his father works two jobs, seventh-grader Efrén Nava must take care of his twin siblings, kindergartners Max and Mia, after their mother is deported to Mexico. Includes glossary of Spanish words.

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A photo of ¡Vamos!: Let's Go Eat

¡Vamos!: Let's Go Eat

"Little Lobo, a Mexican American, and Bernabé, his dog, gather tacos, frutas picadas, cuernos, and more and deliver them to los luchadores preparing for Lucha Libre 5000."-- Provided by publisher.

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A photo of Sal & Gabi Break the Universe

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe

Also available in Overdrive. In order to heal after his mother's death, Sal learned how to meditate. But no one expected him to be able to take it further and 'relax' things into existence. Turns out he can reach into time and space to retrieve things from other universes.

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A photo of Dreamers

Dreamers

Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. "An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story"--

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A photo of Lucky Broken Girl

Lucky Broken Girl

Also available in Overdrive. In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.

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A photo of La Princesa and the Pea

La Princesa and the Pea

Also available in Overdrive. "A rhyming twist on a classic fairy tale in which a queen places a pea under a young lady's mattress to see if she is truly a princess. Incorporates Spanish words and includes a glossary"--

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A photo of Juana & Lucas

Juana & Lucas

A spunky young girl from Colombia loves playing with her canine best friend and resists boring school activities, especially learning English, until her family tells her that a special trip is planned to an English-speaking place.

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A photo of Lowriders to the Center of the Earth

Lowriders to the Center of the Earth

Also available in Overdrive, Hoopla, and RB Digital. "Lupe Impala, El Chavo Flapjack, and Elirio Malaria are living the dream--they are the proud owners of their very own garage. But when their beloved cat, Genie, goes missing, they must embark on a wild road trip through a mysterious corn maze, into the center of the earth, and down to the realm of Mictlantecuhtli. Mic's the Aztec god of the Underworld, but even worse: he's a catnapper! Now it's three clever compadres against one angry, all-powerful god. How will the Lowriders ever save their cat--or themselves?" --

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A photo of Drum Dream Girl

Drum Dream Girl

Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Follows a young Cuban girl in the 1930s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there's never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.

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A photo of I Lived on Butterfly Hill

I Lived on Butterfly Hill

Also available in Hoopla. When her beloved country, Chile, is taken over by a militaristic, sadistic government, Celeste is sent to America for her safety and her parents must go into hiding before they "disappear."

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A photo of Viva Frida

Viva Frida

Also available in Hoopla. Bilingual text, accompanied by colorful photographs, explores the famous artist's life, and illuminates the laughter, love, and tragedy that influenced her work.

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A photo of Niño Wrestles the World

Niño Wrestles the World

Also available in Hoopla. Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no-holds-barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills.

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A photo of The Dreamer

The Dreamer

Also available in Overdrive. A fictionalized biography of the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who grew up a painfully shy child, ridiculed by his overbearing father, but who became one of the most widely-read poets in the world.

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A photo of Return to Sender

Return to Sender

Also available in Overdrive. After his family hires migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure, eleven-year-old Tyler befriends the oldest daughter, but when he discovers they may not be in the country legally, he realizes that real friendship knows no borders.

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A photo of Grandma's Gift

Grandma's Gift

The author describes Christmas at his grandmother's apartment in Spanish Harlem the year she introduced him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Diego Velazquez's portrait of Juan de Pareja, which has had a profound and lasting effect on him.

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A photo of Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day Book Day/Celebremos El Día de los Niños El Día de los Libros: A Bilingual Picture Book Book fiesta! : celebrate Children's Day Book Day = celebremos el Día de los niños el Día de los libros : a bilingual pictur

Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day Book Day/Celebremos El Día de los Niños El Día de los Libros: A Bilingual Picture Book Book fiesta! : celebrate Children's Day Book Day = celebremos el Día de los niños el Día de los libros : a bilingual pictur

Sumario en español: Los niños leen en voz alta en varias colocaciones para celebrar el Día de los niños, en esta historia bilingüe. Incluye datos sobre la celebración mexicana anual de nin̈os y las fiestas del libro que a menudo son incluídas.

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A photo of Los Gatos Black on Halloween

Los Gatos Black on Halloween

Also available in Hoopla. Easy to read, rhyming text about Halloween night incorporates Spanish words, from las brujas riding their broomsticks to los monstruos whose monstrous ball is interrupted by a true horror.

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A photo of Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

In this version of a traditional tale, Senor Calavera arrives at Grandma Beetle's door, ready to take her to the next life, but after helping her count, in English and Spanish, as she makes her birthday preparations, he changes his mind.

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A photo of Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising

Also available in Overdrive. Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

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A photo of Chato and The Party Animals

Chato and The Party Animals

Also available in Hoopla. Chato decides to throw a "pachanga" for his friend Novio Boy, who has never had a birthday party, but when it is time to party, Novio Boy cannot be found.

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A photo of Chato's Kitchen

Chato's Kitchen

Also available in Overdrive and Hoola. To get the "ratoncitos," little mice, who have moved into the barrio to come to his house, Chato the cat prepares all kinds of good food: fajitas, frijoles, salsa, enchiladas, and more.

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