Welcome to the #WorldKidLitWednesday reviewer team, Klem-Marí Cajigas! Klem-Marí Cajigas is no stranger to the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative blog. As guest editor for World Kid Lit Month this September, she shared her passion for books by Puerto Ricans both from the island and from the diaspora. You can read no fewer than 26 … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Meet Reviewer Klem-Marí Cajigas
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
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
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
As part of my research in preparation for serving as guest editor of the GLLI blog for #WorldKidLit Month, I made it a point to look online for books published on the island of Puerto Rico proper. I knew there were books out there that I didn't have immediate knowledge of, as I am located … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Ellas: Histories of Puerto Rican Women
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
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
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
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)
If you've been reading this blog during #WorldKidLit Month, you know that we've already discussed some of Puerto Rico's rich natural world. Today I want to introduce you to more of the island's distinct natural features, specifically its bioluminescent bays. While nonfiction kid lit titles about bioluminescence are relatively easy to come by, it is … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: The Coquí and the Iguana
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 