An inspiring picture book biography of storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City's first Puerto Rican librarian, who championed bilingual literature.
When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura's legacy.
Brought to colorful life by Paola Escobar's elegant and exuberant illustrations and Anika Aldamuy Denise's lyrical text, this gorgeous book is perfect for the pioneers in your life.
Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.
A Spanish-language edition, Sembrando historias: Pura Belpré bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos, is also available.
"An appealing tribute and successful remedy to the lack of titles about the groundbreaking librarian...a must-have for all libraries." -- School Library Journal (starred review)
"Anika Aldamuy Denise's intimate telling captures the magical, folk-tale feeling of Belpré's own stories. Her lyrical text, sprinkled like fairy dust with Spanish words, begs to be read aloud, while Paola Escobar's stylishly detailed and warmly expressive illustrations capture the joy of sharing stories." -- New York Times Book Review
"Denise and Escobar pay tribute to the legacy of librarian Pura Belpré in this vibrant picture-book biography...Planting Stories is a glossy immigration tale of dreams coming true, and the lyrical language lends itself to being read aloud." -- ALA Booklist
"Belpré's story is told in rhythmic language with a good dose of Spanish sprinkled throughout. Escobar's vibrant illustrations are filled with details that help bring to life the story of this remarkable librarian." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Denise plants an idea of her own--that telling stories is a crucial activity for keeping culture alive." -- Publishers Weekly
"Denise's descriptive language moves between English and Spanish seamlessly, without italics used or translations needed, and portrays a lively Pura...Expressive digital illustrations in earthy colors portray warm and radiant characters." -- The Horn Book
"[A] delightfully informative title." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The story is beautiful to look at and to read, and it showcases one of the first people to recognize the need for young readers to have books that reflected who they are." -- NBCNews.com
Anika Aldamuy Denise is the Pura Belpré Honor-winning author of Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré; A Girl Named Rosita: The Story of Rita Moreno: Actor, Singer, Dancer, Trailblazer!; and The Love Letter. A proud Puerto Rican daughter from Queens, she now lives in Rhode Island with her family. Visit Anika online at anikadenise.com.
Paola Escobar is a graphic designer and illustrator from Colombia. As a child, she loved drawing the stories told by her grandmother, and it was her dream to become an illustrator for children's books. Today, she is the illustrator of the award-winning Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré as well as many other critically acclaimed picture books. She is proud to have illustrated stories that celebrate cultural diversity and champion unsung heroes. Paola lives in Bogotá, Colombia, with her husband and their dog, Flora.
Target Age: 4-8
Pub Date: January 15, 2019
0.5" H x 11.2" L x 8.7" W
40 pages
hardcover