Back of Book:
Pura’s abuela always has a cuento to share. She crows ¡Qui-qui-ri-quí! for Señor Gallo, booms Borom, Borom for Señor Zapo, and tells of a beautiful cockroach who loves a mouse. Pura clings to these stories like coquíes cling to green leaves.
When Pura grows up and moves from Puerto Rico to Harlem, she gets a job at the library, where she is surrounded by stories—but they’re only in English. Where is Señor Gallo? Where is Pérez the mouse? Where is Puerto Rico on these shelves? She decides to tell children the tales of her homeland in English and in Spanish.
My Review:
I received a copy of this picture book from Abrahms Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Today is the first day of Latinx Heritage Month and I am so excited to share this beautiful biography about Pura Belpr’e.
Pura’s Cuentos How Pura Belpr’e Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories by Annette Bay Pimentel is a lovely biography about how one librarian changed storytime in her library. When Pura gets a job in a library, she is thrilled to be able to read stories to the children. When she realizes that there are no Puerto Rican tales, Pura breaks the rules and tells the oral stories of her childhood. Her risk pays off and her stories are loved by children and adults. Soon Pura begins to perform outreach to the Latinx & Spanish-speaking community so her stories can be heard by all children. Eventually, Pura wrote down her stories and published Perez and Martina in 1932. Her dedication and commitment live on through bilingual library programs around the world. The text of this story is written in a second-person narrative and brings Pura’s journey to life. The illustrations by Magaly Morales are filled with bright colors and dimensions. The back of the book includes a biography with more details of Pura’s life. This book is a wonderful look at an incredible woman who bridged cultures by telling stories.
Ages 5 and up
40 Pages
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