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. It has been given every other year since 1996. Beginning with the 2009 award, it will be given annually.

The award is named in honor of Pura Belpré

Pura Belpré

Pura Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer. There is some dispute as to the date of her birth which has been given as February 2, 1899, December 2, 1901 and February 2, 1903.- Education :She was born in Cidra,...

, the first Latina librarian from the New York Public Library. As a children's librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Latino

Latino

The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...

 children through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore. The award is given by the Association for Library Service to Children

Association for Library Service to Children

The Association for Library Service to Children is a division of the American Library Association. Its members are concerned with the profession of children's Librarianship...

 (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association

American Library Association

The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....

 (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA

REFORMA

The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, more commonly known as REFORMA, is an affiliate of the American Library Association formed in 1971 to promote library services to Latinos and the Spanish speaking. It is registered in...

).

Criteria

• Two medals shall be awarded at the annual conference of the American Library Association
  American Library Association
  The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
  
  , 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 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.

Recipients

Year	Work	Recipient	Title	Citation
2011	author	Pam Muñoz Ryan Pam Muñoz Ryan Pam Muñoz Ryan is a Mexican-American author.Muñoz Ryan began writing when she was encouraged by a professor while in graduate school. "It took me a number or years to make that leap of faith," she states when commenting on becoming a full-time writer...	The Dreamer	Winner
2011	author	George Ancona George Ancona George Ancona is an American award-winning photo essayist, author and illustrator of children's books. He was born in New York, and currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2002, Ancona received the Washington Post Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award.-External links:*...	¡Ole! Flamenco	Honor
2011	author	Margarita Engle Margarita Engle Margarita Engle is the Cuban American winner of the first Newbery Honor ever awarded to a Latino.-Biography:She was a botanist and professor at California State Polytechnic University.Her young adult novels in verse include:...	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 Julia Álvarez Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Born in New York of Dominican descent, she spent the first ten years of her childhood in the Dominican Republic, until her father's involvement in a political rebellion forced her family to flee the country.Alvarez rose to...	Return to Sender	Winner
2010	author	Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	Diego: Bigger Than Life	Honor
2010	author	Georgina Lazaro Georgina Lázaro Georgina Lázaro-Leon is a Puerto Rican poet whose work is focused on children. Her children poems have been recorded by many artists, among them Tony Croatto.-Early years:...	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 Margarita Engle Margarita Engle is the Cuban American winner of the first Newbery Honor ever awarded to a Latino.-Biography:She was a botanist and professor at California State Polytechnic University.Her young adult novels in verse include:...	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 Lulu Delacre Lulu Delacre is the author/illustrator of many award winning children's books. Some of her most famous works include Arroz con leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America, Vejigante Masquerader, and The Bossy Gallito...	The Storyteller's Candle	Honor
2009	illustrator	Amy Córdova	What Can You Do With a Rebozo	Honor
2008	author	Margarita Engle Margarita Engle Margarita Engle is the Cuban American winner of the first Newbery Honor ever awarded to a Latino.-Biography:She was a botanist and professor at California State Polytechnic University.Her young adult novels in verse include:...	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 Carmen Agra Deedy Carmen Agra Deedy is an internationally known, award winning author of children’s literature, storyteller and radio contributor. Born in Havana, Cuba, she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1963 after the Cuban Revolution...	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 Viola Canales Viola Canales is an American writer originally from McAllen, Texas. She has published a short story collection, Orange Candy Slices and Other Secret Tales , and a novel, The Tequila Worm for which she won the Pura Belpré Award in 2006....	The Tequila Worm	Winner
2006	author	Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!	>-	2006	author	Pat Mora Pat Mora Pat Mora is a Chicana author known primarily for her poetry and children's books.- Writer's Life and Work:Pat Mora is a writer and cultural preservationist who seeks to document the lives of Mexican Americans and U.S. Latinas and Latinos through varying genres such as children's books, poetry, and...	Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart	Honor
2006	author	Pam Muñoz Ryan Pam Muñoz Ryan Pam Muñoz Ryan is a Mexican-American author.Muñoz Ryan began writing when she was encouraged by a professor while in graduate school. "It took me a number or years to make that leap of faith," she states when commenting on becoming a full-time writer...	Becoming Naomi León Becoming Naomi León Becoming Naomi Leon is a book by Pam Muñoz Ryan about a quiet girl living with her great-grandmother and brother Owen. Little do they know that they are about to be taken on a whirlwind journey and a desperate search for her father.-Plot summary:...	Honor
2006	illustrator	Raul Colón	Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart	Winner
2006	illustrator	Lulu Delacre Lulu Delacre Lulu Delacre is the author/illustrator of many award winning children's books. Some of her most famous works include Arroz con leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America, Vejigante Masquerader, and The Bossy Gallito...	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 Julia Álvarez Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Born in New York of Dominican descent, she spent the first ten years of her childhood in the Dominican Republic, until her father's involvement in a political rebellion forced her family to flee the country.Alvarez rose to...	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 Pam Muñoz Ryan Pam Muñoz Ryan is a Mexican-American author.Muñoz Ryan began writing when she was encouraged by a professor while in graduate school. "It took me a number or years to make that leap of faith," she states when commenting on becoming a full-time writer...	Esperanza Rising Esperanza Rising Esperanza Rising is a 1000novel written by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Set during the time of the American Great Depression, it examines the plight of the Mexican farmworkers as they struggle to adapt and survive in the United States. This book has received many accolades, including the Pura Belpre...	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 Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera is a poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist.The only son of María de la Luz Quintana and Felipe Emilio Herrera, the three were campesinos living from crop to crop, and from tractor to trailer to tents on the roads of the San Joaquín Valley, Southern...	Laughing out Loud, I Fly: Poems in English and Spanish	Honor
2000	illustrator	Carmen Lomas Garza Carmen Lomas Garza -Biography:Carmen Lomas Garza had been born on September 12, 1948 in Kingsville, Texas. The initial roots of her artwork lay in her family, to whom she is close, and in the Chicano Movement. Garza's parents had been involved in political organizing through the American GI Forum, and Garza followed...	Magic Windows	Winner
2000	illustrator	George Ancona George Ancona George Ancona is an American award-winning photo essayist, author and illustrator of children's books. He was born in New York, and currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2002, Ancona received the Washington Post Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award.-External links:*...	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 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 Carmen Lomas Garza -Biography:Carmen Lomas Garza had been born on September 12, 1948 in Kingsville, Texas. The initial roots of her artwork lay in her family, to whom she is close, and in the Chicano Movement. Garza's parents had been involved in political organizing through the American GI Forum, and Garza followed...	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 Judith Ortiz Cofer Judith Ortiz Cofer is a Puerto Rican author. Her work spans a range of literary genres including poetry, short stories, autobiography, essays, and Young-adult fiction.-Early years:...	An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio	Winner
1996	author	Lucía González	El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale	Honor
1996	author	Gary Soto Gary Soto Gary Soto is a Mexican-American author and poet.Mexican-American parents Manuel and Angie Soto . In his youth, he worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley and in factories in Fresno. Gary's father died in 1957, when he was just five years old...	Baseball in April, and Other Stories	Honor
1996	illustrator	Susan Guevara	Chato's Kitchen	Winner
1996	illustrator	George Ancona George Ancona George Ancona is an American award-winning photo essayist, author and illustrator of children's books. He was born in New York, and currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2002, Ancona received the Washington Post Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award.-External links:*...	Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead	Honor
1996	illustrator	Lulu Delacre Lulu Delacre Lulu Delacre is the author/illustrator of many award winning children's books. Some of her most famous works include Arroz con leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America, Vejigante Masquerader, and The Bossy Gallito...	El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale	Honor
1996	illustrator	Carmen Lomas Garza Carmen Lomas Garza -Biography:Carmen Lomas Garza had been born on September 12, 1948 in Kingsville, Texas. The initial roots of her artwork lay in her family, to whom she is close, and in the Chicano Movement. Garza's parents had been involved in political organizing through the American GI Forum, and Garza followed...	Cuadros de Familia	Honor

Recipients of Multiple Medals and Honors

• Yuyi Morales has received 3 medals and 2 honors as an illustrator and 1 honor as an author.
• Julia Alvarez
  Julia Álvarez
  Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Born in New York of Dominican descent, she spent the first ten years of her childhood in the Dominican Republic, until her father's involvement in a political rebellion forced her family to flee the country.Alvarez rose to...
  
  has received 2 medals as an author.
• Margarita Engle has received 2 medals and 1 honor as an author.
• Pam Muñoz Ryan
  Pam Muñoz Ryan
  Pam Muñoz Ryan is a Mexican-American author.Muñoz Ryan began writing when she was encouraged by a professor while in graduate school. "It took me a number or years to make that leap of faith," she states when commenting on becoming a full-time writer...
  
  has received 2 medals and 1 honor as an author.
• Susan Guevara has received 2 medals as an illustrator.
• Carmen Lomas Garza
  Carmen Lomas Garza
  -Biography:Carmen Lomas Garza had been born on September 12, 1948 in Kingsville, Texas. The initial roots of her artwork lay in her family, to whom she is close, and in the Chicano Movement. Garza's parents had been involved in political organizing through the American GI Forum, and Garza followed...
  
  has received 1 medal and 2 honors as an illustrator.
• Raúl Colón has received 1 medal and 1 honor as an illustrator.
• Rafael López has received 1 medal and 1 honor as an illustrator.
• Lulu Delacre
  Lulu Delacre
  Lulu Delacre is the author/illustrator of many award winning children's books. Some of her most famous works include Arroz con leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America, Vejigante Masquerader, and The Bossy Gallito...
  
  has received 3 honors as an illustrator.
• Carmen T. Bernier-Grand has received 3 honors as an author.
• David Diaz has received 4 honors as illustrator.
• Francisco Jiménez has received 2 honors as an author.
• Francisco X. Alarcón has received 2 honors as an author.
• George Ancona
  George Ancona
  George Ancona is an American award-winning photo essayist, author and illustrator of children's books. He was born in New York, and currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2002, Ancona received the Washington Post Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award.-External links:*...
  
  has received 1 honor as an author and 2 honors as an illustrator.
• Lucía González has received 2 honors as an author.
• Amy Cordova has received 2 honors as an illustrator

• Diego: Bigger than Life was the subject of 2 honors for narration and illustration in 2010.
• Just In Case was the subject of a medal for illustration and an honor for narration in 2009.
• The Storyteller's Candle was the subject of 2 honors for narration and illustration 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.