Pura Belpré

Introduce readers to the life of author and community outreach leader Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City.

Pura believed the library was for everyone. Using her skills in storytelling, she encouraged Hispanic children to visit the library by creating bilingual story hour. Her community outreach helped to make the Hispanic people in New York City feel included. Learn about how Pura impacted her community, resulting in the annual Pura Belpré Award, in this inspirational biography, part of the Leaders Like Us true story books based on real life book series.

Storybook For Children in Grades 1-4 Features:

• Post-reading questions
• Extension activity
• Time line

About Rourke Educational Media:

We proudly publish respectful and relevant nonfiction and fiction titles that represent our diverse readers, and are designed to support reading on a level that has no limits!

| This nonfiction book introduces readers to the life of author and community outreach leader Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. Each year the Pura Belpré Award is given to an author and illustrator who celebrates Latino culture. | The latest volumes in the attractive Leaders Like Us series introduce young readers to a diverse group of Americans who have worked for justice and against discrimination on many levels. Dalip Singh Saund tells of a young man who left India to study agriculture in California, helped overturn the law barring Indian immigrants from citizenship, and later became the first Asian American and first Sikh elected to Congress. José Feliciano introduces a boy, blind since birth, whose Puerto Rican family moved to New York City in 1945. Playing his guitar for hours every day, he wrote songs, performed, and later brought people together through his music. Pura Belpré chronicles the life of New York City's first Puerto Rican librarian, who started a collection of children's books in Spanish, conducted bilingual programs, and wrote books based on folktales she heard as a child. Yuri Kochiyama presents the life of a notable American activist. Kochiyama's family was incarcerated for two years with other Japanese Americans during WWII. Afterwards, she fought against injustice and promoted the "togetherness of all peoples." The clearly delineated, digital artwork suggests setting subtly, while drawing the eye toward the people discussed and expressing their emotions simply. An appealing biography series for young readers. —Carolyn Phelan Booklist, October 2023 | Pura believed the library was for everyone. Using her skills in storytelling, she encouraged Hispanic children to visit the library by creating bilingual story hour. Her community outreach helped to make the Hispanic people in NYC feel included.