Belpré Medal

Pura Belpré Award
Awarded for	excellent portrayal of Latino experience in children's literature
Country	United States
Presented by	Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association
First awarded	1996
Official website	ala.org/alsc/belpre

The Pura Belpré Award is a recognition presented to a Latino or Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. It was established in 1996.^[1] It was given every other year since 1996 until 2009 when it was changed to be given annually.^[2]

The award is named in honor of Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian from the New York Public Library. As a children's librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Latino children through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore.^[2]

The award is given 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).^[2]

Criteria

• Two medals shall be awarded at the annual conference of the American Library Association, one to a Latino author and one to a Latino illustrator, for creating outstanding original children's (age 0-14) books that portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.
• For purposed of this award, Latino is defined as people whose heritage emanates from any of the Spanish-speaking cultures of the Western Hemisphere.
• The award-winning books must be published in the United States or Puerto Rico.
• The committee is not to consider the entire body of work by an author or whether the author has previously won the award.
• Recipients of the Pura Belpré Medal must be residents or citizens of the United States or Puerto Rico.
• Fiction and nonfiction books for children published in Spanish, English, or bilingual format are eligible.
• Honor books may be named.
• If suitable candidates are not found, the awards will not be presented in that year.
• One person may be selected to receive the awards in both categories.^[3]

Recipients

Pura Belpré Award winners and runners-up^[4]

Year	Work	Recipient	Title	Citation
2016	author	Margarita Engle	Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir	Winner
2016	author	David Bowles	The Smoking Mirror	Honor
2016	author	Meg Medina	Mango, Abuela, and Me	Honor
2016	illustrator	Rafael López	The Drum Dream Girl	Winner
2016	illustrator	Antonio Castro L.	My Tata’s Remedies = Los remedios de mi tata	Honor
2016	illustrator	Angela Dominguez	Mango, Abuela, and Me	Honor
2016	illustrator	Duncan Tonatiuh	Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras	Honor
2015	author	Marjorie Agosín	I Lived on Butterfly Hill	Winner
2015	author	Juan Felipe Herrera	Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes	Honor
2015	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Viva Frida	Winner
2015	illustrator	Susan Guevara	Little Roja Riding Hood	Honor
2015	illustrator	John Parra	Green Is a Chile Pepper	Honor
2015	illustrator	Duncan Tonatiuh	Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation	Honor
2014	author	Meg Medina	Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass	Winner
2014	author	Margarita Engle	The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist	Honor
2014	author	Matt de la Peña	The Living	Honor
2014	author	Duncan Tonatiuh	Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale	Honor
2014	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Niño Wrestles the World	Winner
2014	illustrator	Angela Dominguez	Maria Had a Little Llama/María Tenía una Llamita	Honor
2014	illustrator	Rafael López	Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo	Honor
2014	illustrator	Duncan Tonatiuh	Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A MIgrant's Tale	Honor
2013	author	Benjamin Alire Sáenz	Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe	Winner
2013	author	Sonia Manzano	The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano	Honor
2013	illustrator	David Diaz	Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert	Winner
2012	author	Guadalupe Garcia McCall	Under the Mesquite	Winner
2012	author	Margarita Engle	Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck	Honor
2012	author	Xavier Garza	Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller	Honor
2012	illustrator	Duncan Tonatiuh	Diego Rivera: His World and Ours	Winner
2012	illustrator	Rafael López	The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred	Honor
2012	illustrator	Sara Palacios	Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match /Marisol McDonald no combina	Honor
2011	author	Pam Muñoz Ryan	The Dreamer	Winner
2011	author	George Ancona	¡Ole! Flamenco	Honor
2011	author	Margarita Engle	The Firefly: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba	Honor
2011	author	Enrique Flores-Galbis	90 Miles to Havana	Honor
2011	illustrator	Eric Velasquez	Grandma's Gift	Winner
2011	illustrator	Amy Cordova	Fiesta Babies	Honor
2011	illustrator	David Diaz	Me, Frida	Honor
2011	illustrator	Duncan Tonatiuh	Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin	Honor
2010	author	Julia Alvarez	Return to Sender	Winner
2010	author	Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	Diego: Bigger Than Life	Honor
2010	author	Georgina Lazaro	Federico García Lorca	Honor
2010	illustrator	Rafael López	Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros	Winner
2010	illustrator	David Díaz	Diego: Bigger Than Life	Honor
2010	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	My Abuelita	Honor
2010	illustrator	John Parra	Gracias • Thanks	Honor
2009	author	Margarita Engle	The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom	Winner
2009	author	Yuyi Morales	Just In Case	Honor
2009	author	Francisco Jiménez	Reaching Out	Honor
2009	author	Lucía González	The Storyteller's Candle	Honor
2009	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Just In Case	Winner
2009	illustrator	Rudy Gutierrez	Papá and Me	Honor
2009	illustrator	Lulu Delacre	The Storyteller's Candle	Honor
2009	illustrator	Amy Córdova	What Can You Do With a Rebozo	Honor
2008	author	Margarita Engle	The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano	Winner
2008	author	Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!	Honor
2008	author	Carmen Agra Deedy	Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale	Honor
2008	author	Marisa Montes	Los Gatos Black on Halloween	Honor
2008	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Los Gatos Black on Halloween	Winner
2008	illustrator	Raúl Colón	Me llamo Gabito: la vida de Gabriel García Márquez	Honor
2008	illustrator	Maya Christina Gonzalez	Mis colores, mi mundo	Honor
2006	author	Viola Canales	The Tequila Worm	Winner
2006	author	Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!	Honor
2006	author	Pat Mora	Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart	Honor
2006	author	Pam Muñoz Ryan	Becoming Naomi León	Honor
2006	illustrator	Raul Colón	Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart	Winner
2006	illustrator	Lulu Delacre	Arrorró, Mi Niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games	Honor
2006	illustrator	David Diaz	César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!	Honor
2006	illustrator	Rafael López	Me Llamo Celia: La Vida de Celia Cruz	Honor
2004	author	Julia Alvarez	Before We Were Free	Winner
2004	author	Nancy Osa	Cuba 15	Honor
2004	author	Amada Irma Pérez	Mi Diario de Aquí Hasta Allá	Honor
2004	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book	Winner
2004	illustrator	Robert Casilla	First Day in Grapes	Honor
2004	illustrator	David Diaz	The Pot That Juan Built	Honor
2004	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez	Honor
2002	author	Pam Muñoz Ryan	Esperanza Rising	Winner
2002	author	Francisco Jiménez	Breaking Through	Honor
2002	author	Francisco X. Alarcón	Iguanas in the Snow	Honor
2002	illustrator	Susan Guevara	Chato and the Party Animals	Winner
2002	illustrator	Joe Cepeda	Juan Bobo Goes to Work	Honor
2000	author	Alma Flor Ada	Under the Royal Palms: A Childhood in Cuba	Winner
2000	author	Francisco X. Alarcón	Del Ombligo de la Luna y Otro Poemas de Verano	Honor
2000	author	Juan Felipe Herrera	Laughing out Loud, I Fly: Poems in English and Spanish	Honor
2000	illustrator	Carmen Lomas Garza	Magic Windows	Winner
2000	illustrator	George Ancona	Barrio: José's Neighborhood	Honor
2000	illustrator	Felipe Dávalos	The Secret Stars	Honor
2000	illustrator	Amelia Lau Carling	Mama & Papa Have a Store	Honor
1998	author	Victor Martinez	Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida	Winner
1998	author	Francisco X. Alarcón	Jitomates Risueños y otros poemas de primavera	Honor
1998	author	Floyd Martinez	Spirits of the High Mesa	Honor
1998	illustrator	Stephanie Garcia	Snapshots from the Wedding	Winner
1998	illustrator	Carmen Lomas Garza	En mi familia	Honor
1998	illustrator	Enrique O Sánchez	The Golden Flower: a Taino Myth from Puerto Rico	Honor
1998	illustrator	Simón Silva	Gathering the Sun: an Alphabet in Spanish and English	Honor
1996	author	Judith Ortiz Cofer	An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio	Winner
1996	author	Lucia M. Gonzalez	El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale	Honor
1996	author	Gary Soto	Baseball in April, and Other Stories	Honor
1996	illustrator	Susan Guevara	Chato's Kitchen	Winner
1996	illustrator	George Ancona	Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead	Honor
1996	illustrator	Lulu Delacre	El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale	Honor
1996	illustrator	Carmen Lomas Garza	Cuadros de Familia	Honor

Recipients of Multiple Medals and Honors

• Julia Alvarez has received 2 medals as an author.
• Francisco X. Alarcón has received 2 honors as an author.
• George Ancona has received 1 honor as an author and 2 honors as an illustrator.
• Carmen T. Bernier-Grand has received 3 honors as an author.
• Raúl Colón has received 1 medal and 1 honor as an illustrator.
• Lulu Delacre has received 3 honors as an illustrator.
• David Diaz has received 4 honors as illustrator.
• Margarita Engle has received 2 medals and 1 honor as an author.
• Carmen Lomas Garza has received 1 medal and 2 honors as an illustrator.
• Lucia M. Gonzalez has received 2 honors as an author.
• Amy Cordova has received 2 honors as an illustrator
• Susan Guevara has received 2 medals as an illustrator.
• Francisco Jiménez' has received 2 honors as an author.
• Rafael López (illustrator and artist) has received 2 medals and 3 honors as an illustrator.
• Yuyi Morales has received 3 medals and 2 honors as an illustrator and 1 honor as an author.
• Pam Muñoz Ryan has received 2 medals and 1 honor as an author.

• Diego: Bigger than Life was the subject of 2 honors for narration and illustration in 2010.
• The Storyteller's Candle was the subject of 2 honors for narration and illustration in 2009.
• Just In Case was the subject of a medal for illustration and an honor for narration in 2009.
• Los Gatos Black on Halloween was the subject of a medal for illustration and an honor for narration in 2008
• Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart was the subject of a medal for illustration and an honor for narration in 2006.
• César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! was the subject of 2 honors for narration and illustration in 2006.
• 'El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale was the subject of 2 honors for narration and illustration in 1996.

References

1. "Welcome to the Pura Belpré Award home page!". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). American Library Association (ALA). Retrieved 2009-02-24.
2. "About the Belpré Medal". ALSC, ALA. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
3. "(Pura) Belpré Award Terms and Criteria". ALSC, ALA. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
4. "The Pura Belpré Award winners, 1996–present". ALSC, ALA. Retrieved 2013-05-04.