Lucia Gonzalez

With the exception of Firefly Summer, her novel for younger readers, I've read and enjoyed pretty much everything published by Pura Belpré - the Puerto Rican children's author and librarian for whom the The Pura Belpré Award, set up to honor Latina/o children's authors and illustrators, was named. So when I discovered that there was a picture-book about Belpré herself, and her role in making The New York Public Library accessible to the Latina/o community, I was quite excited to read it. show more I'm glad to say that Lucia Gonzalez' The Storyteller's Candle/La velita de los cuentos does not disappoint!

Told from the perspective of cousins Hildamar and Santiago, who walk past the library every day, but never go in, because they believe it is for English-speakers only, this bilingual book really demonstrates what an important resource the library can be, not just as a repository for reading material, but as a place for communal celebration. I enjoyed following along, as Hildamar, Santiago, and their friends and family learn that Spanish-speakers too are welcome at the library, and found the conclusion - in which they all pitch in to create a Three Kings Day pageant - immensely heartwarming. The accompanying mixed-media illustrations by Lulu Delacre, which utilize a newspaper from one of the important days (January 6, 1930) in the story, are very appealing.

All in all, this was an engaging book, featuring an influential figure in the world of children's literature and librarianship, and I recommend it to all readers (young or old) with an interest in books, libraries, or issues of accessibility. And for those librarians looking to make their own collections more Spanish-friendly, I recommend Library Service to Spanish Speaking Patrons: A Practical Guide, which happens, not coincidentally, to be written by an aunt of mine. show less

The two Puerto-Rican children, Hildamar and Santiago, want to go to the library, but their Titi Maria tells them that they only use English in the library. Much to their surprise Pura Belpre comes to their school and invites them to the library and assures them that the library is for everyone. After an enchanting story time, Pura Belpre brings the community together to plan a celebration of Three Kings Day. This is a beautiful tribute to the amazing and influential librarian Pura Belpre.

González and Delacre’s The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos accomplishes a great deal in a relatively slim (32 pages) children’s volume. The story of cousins Hildamar and Santiago illustrates the emotional and cultural challenges faced by Puerto Rican immigrant children, while the setting of the Depression-era Manhattan neighborhood known as El Barrio provides historical and social context. The bilingual text allows English-speaking readers to learn Spanish vocabulary and show more vice-versa. And the life and legacy of Pura Belpré, though interwoven with the fictional children’s characters, is rendered faithfully. By focusing the story’s events on Three King’s Day/El Día de los Reyes and Belpré’s holiday celebrations at the New York Public Library, González and Delacre combine cultural education with a message about the public library’s value in the community. Belpré’s belief, echoed by the authors, was that the library “belongs to everyone—whether you speak Spanish, English or both.” This message of equal access for all both solidifies Belpre’s legacy, and communicates one of the central ethical tenets of librarianship today.
A Pura Belpré Honor Award winner, this book is likely to interest librarians because it tells an important story from the history of library science in general and Latino librarianship in particular, because its message of free library access can teach readers of all ages about the mission and vision of libraries in the United States, and because the biography of Pura Belpré is an inspiring and important story that deserves attention. The text and rich illustrations are likely to engage readers of all ages and levels, and the takeaway message is timeless. show less

I thought this was a really amazing book for a variety of reasons. This book is a fiction narrative that's based on the real-life of Pura Belpre, the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York. It's based during the great depression and starts off with two young children who are afraid to go into the library because they think it's only for people who speak English. The overall message is about how librarian Pura Belpre invites memebers of the community into the library and teaches the show more importance of accepting and reaching out to others. The best part about this book is how on each page the text is written in English and Spanish. This embodies the idea of having a children's book that suits multiple perspectives. This is great for students who are learning either one of the languages because they can compare the same text in both languages. The next thing I like is how the setting for this book is set in the time of the depression. It makes for not only a book that can be read for enjoyment, but also informational purposes. The final thing I find great about this book is how the characters are Puerto Rican. So many books feature white children, which makes it difficult for children of different ethnicity's to relate and understand those books. show less