Pura Belpré Award

About the Pura Belpré Award
The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored 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), an ALA affiliate.

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. As a children's librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Puerto Rican children in the U.S.A. through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore.

It is now an annual award.  It was a biennial award from its inaugural year in 1996 through 2008. 

Administered by:

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) logo

Children's Author

2023 Winner(s)

Frizzy

Written by Claribel A. Ortega, illustrated by Rose Bousamra. Published by First Second, a division of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

2023 Honor(s)

The Coquíes Still Sing
Written by Karina Nicole González, illustrated by Krystal Quiles. Published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border
Written by Stephen Briseño, illustrated by Magdalena Mora. Published by Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House

Youth Illustrator

2023 Winner(s)

Where Wonder Grows

Illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, written by Xelena González. Published by Cinco Puntos Press, an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc.

2023 Honor(s)

The Coquíes Still Sing
Illustrated by Krystal Quiles, written by Karina Nicole González. Published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters
Illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh. Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS

Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land
Illustrated and written by Mirelle Ortega. Published by Cameron Kids, an imprint of Cameron + Company, a division of ABRAMS

Phenomenal AOC: The Roots and Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Illustrated by Loris Lora, written by Anika Aldamuy Denise. Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers

Srta. Quinces
Illustrated and written by Kat Fajardo, translated by Scholastic Inc. Published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando
Illustrated by Magdalena Mora, written by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, translated by Luis Humberto Crosthwaite. Published by Children’s Book Press, an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc.

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