PURA BELPRE

My Name is Celia / Me llamo es Celia

Author: Monica Brown
Illustrator: Rafael Lopez

Brown, M., & López, R. (2004). My name is Celia: The life of Celia Cruz = Me llamo Celia : la vida de Celia Cruz. Flagstaff, Ariz: Rising Moon.

Genre: Biography

Awards: 2005 Pura Belpre Award, 2005 Americas Award

Summary: The story of Celia Cruz, told as a picture book, a woman who became known for her triumph over prejudice to become a famous singer.  The illustrations are bright and vibrant and full of action.

How this book relates to young children: Children will be intrigued by the colorful illustrations and the almost poetic telling of Cruz' life.

How I would use this book with young children: This book is good to use during a multicultural unit or part of a social studies unit on heroes.

My Abuelita

Author: Tony Johnston
Illustrator: Yuyi Morales

Johnston, T., Morales, Y., & O'Meara, T. (2009). My abuelita. Orlando, Fla: Harcourt Children's Books.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: 2010 Pura Belpre Honor

Summary: A grandmother is getting ready for her job while her grandson looks on and the reader must use clues to predict the type of work she has.  The illustrations use real-life objects as the props.

How this book relates to young children: Children will love the puppet-like illustrations and the use of figurative language.

How I would use this book with young children: This is a good book to use when teaching inferencing and drawing conclusions.

What Can You Do With a Rebozo?

Author: Carmen Tafolla
Illustrator: Amy Cordova

Tafolla, C., & Córdova, A. (2008). What can you do with a rebozo?. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: 2009 Pura Belpre Medal

Summary: A girl and her family show all the things they can do with their red rebozo, a woven shawl.  The illustrations are bright and vibrant and complement the story.

How this book relates to young children: Children will enjoy the bilingual parts of this book and trying to determine what a rebozo is.

How I would use this book with young children: This book can be used for visualization by reading the story to the children without them seeing the pictures and drawing what they believe a rebozo to be.