Today is the last day of September, and with it, the end of this #WorldKidLit Month. It has been an honor to present to the global reading public children's and Young Adult books, written by Puerto Ricans, with Puerto Rican themes, from both the island and the diaspora. I hope that from wherever in the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Puerto Rican Kid Lit from Here to the World
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: Incubating Children’s Literature in Puerto Rico
In addition to previously-unbeknownst-to-me books, my research for #WorldKidLit Month led me to the discovery of a marvelous new effort to grow the profile of children's and young adult literature in Puerto Rico. Historical Photograph: Bookmobile in front of Dr. María Cadilla High School in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 1961. Courtesy of Puerto Rico Historic Building … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Incubating Children’s Literature in Puerto Rico
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: The Legend of Kiki Kokí
If you've been reading this blog during #WorldKidLit Month, you may have already learned a bit about the coquí. A small species of tree frog onomatopoeically named for its vociferous song, the coquí has long been a symbol of Puerto Rico. The Taíno, for example, carved what are believed representations of the coquí on rock … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: The Legend of Kiki Kokí
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: When Julia Danced Bomba
As I mentioned in another blog post during this #WorldKidLit Month, Puerto Rico owes much of its cultural inheritance to its population of African descent. Although they were kidnapped, brought as captives to the Western Hemisphere, and forced to labor under the sadistic conditions established by European colonial powers, African peoples endured, survived, and created … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: When Julia Danced Bomba
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: Afro Puerto Rican Bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg In yesterday's post, we learned about trailblazing librarian and storyteller Pura Belpre. Today I want to present another monumental figure of the Puerto Rican diaspora, noted book collector, historian, researcher, writer, and activist Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. Often recognized as one of the fathers of Black history, his enormous book collection formed the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Afro Puerto Rican Bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: Trailblazing Puerto Rican Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
Photograph of Pura Belpré Avid picture book readers, close followers of the children's publishing industry, and librarians may very well be familiar with the Pura Belpré Medal, given annually to Latinx illustrators and writers whose book "best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience." However, how much do we about the trailblazing librarian and storyteller … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Trailblazing Puerto Rican Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: Shadowshaper (Shadowshaper Cypher Series, Book 1)
Note from Klem-Marí Cajigas, GLLI blog Guest Editor for #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Today I want to welcome writer Ruth Terry to the blog. I really appreciate her contributions. Welcome! Daniel José Older’s novel Shadowshaper, released in 2015, is an urban fantasy embedded with real-world commentary about the nature of art and the lived experiences of … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Shadowshaper (Shadowshaper Cypher Series, Book 1)
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: Call Me Maria
Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer is about a teenaged Puerto Rican girl named Maria and how she processes her changing world. Ortiz Cofer artfully creates a soap opera-like feel in this work, which she accomplishes by using various genres – part novel, part poetry – to her advantage, as she shifts between scenes and changes … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Call Me Maria
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: The Education of Margot Sanchez
The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera features the title character’s plight to fit in with new friends, while reconciling where she comes from and who she is, with where she wants to go and who she wants to become. Set in New York, the story begins with a Puerto Rican teenaged girl working at one of … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: The Education of Margot Sanchez
#WorldKidLit Month 2020: The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary
The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary by NoNieqa Ramos is both heart-wrenching and masterfully crafted. Ramos’s teenage protagonist, Macy Cashmere, is a character who, like many young people who experience tough circumstances, could be easily glossed over or written off by the casual observer as lacking the desire or capacity to succeed. Yet, readers will learn as they read Macy’s … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 