Pura Belpré Award

The Pura Belpré Award is a recognition presented to a Latino or Latina author and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. It was established in 1996.^[1] It was given every other year since 1996 until 2009 when it was changed to be given annually.^[2]

Pura Belpré Award
Awarded for	Excellent portrayal of Latino experience in children's literature
Country	United States
Presented by	Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association
First award	1996
Website	ala.org/alsc/belpre

The award is named in honor of Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian from the New York Public Library. As a children's librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Latino children through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore.^[2]

The award is given 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).^[2]

Criteria

From 1996 to 2020, two medals were awarded at ALA's annual conference, one to a Latinx author and one to a Latinx illustrator, for creating outstanding original children's (age 0-14) books that portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latinx cultural experience. Beginning in 2021, the author category was divided into two: one for a children's author and one for a young adult author. For the purpose of the award, "Latinx" is defined as people whose heritage emanates from any of the Spanish-speaking cultures of the Western Hemisphere.

To be eligible for the award, book must meet the following criteria:

• Published in the United States
• Author/illustrator is a resident or citizen of the United States
• Published in Spanish, English, or both

Books are judged individually, not based on the author/illustrator's body of work nor whether the author/illustrator has previously received the award. Honor books may be named, but if suitable candidates are not found, the awards will not be presented in that year. One person may be selected to receive the awards in both categories.^[3]

Recipients

Yuyi Morales has won six Belpré Medals and four honors and as both author and illustrator.

Margarita Engle has won three Medals and three honors, all as author.

Duncan Tonatiuh has won one medal and eight honors as both author and illustrator.

Rafael López won three medals and three honors in the role of illustrator.

Pura Belpré Medal winners and honors^[4]

Year	Category	Recipient	Title	Result	Ref.
1996	author	Judith Ortiz Cofer	An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio	Winner
		Lucía M. González	El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale	Honor
		Gary Soto	Baseball in April, and Other Stories	Honor
	illustrator	Susan Guevara	Chato's Kitchen	Winner
		George Ancona	Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead	Honor
		Lulu Delacre	El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale	Honor
		Carmen Lomas Garza	Cuadros de Familia	Honor
1998	author	Victor Martinez	Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida	Winner	[5]
		Floyd Martinez	Spirits of the High Mesa	Honor
		Francisco X. Alarcón	Jitomates Risueños y otros poemas de primavera	Honor
	illustrator	Stephanie Garcia	Snapshots from the Wedding	Winner	[5]
		Carmen Lomas Garza	En mi familia	Honor
		Enrique O. Sánchez	The Golden Flower: a Taino Myth from Puerto Rico	Honor
		Simón Silva	Gathering the Sun: an Alphabet in Spanish and English	Honor
2000	author	Alma Flor Ada	Under the Royal Palms: A Childhood in Cuba	Winner
		Francisco X. Alarcón	Del Ombligo de la Luna y Otro Poemas de Verano	Honor
		Juan Felipe Herrera	Laughing out Loud, I Fly: Poems in English and Spanish	Honor
	illustrator	Carmen Lomas Garza	Magic Windows	Winner
		George Ancona	Barrio: José's Neighborhood	Honor
		Felipe Dávalos	The Secret Stars	Honor
		Amelia Lau Carling	Mama & Papa Have a Store	Honor
2002	author	Pam Muñoz Ryan	Esperanza Rising	Winner
		Francisco Jiménez	Breaking Through	Honor
		Francisco X. Alarcón	Iguanas in the Snow	Honor
	illustrator	Susan Guevara	Chato and the Party Animals	Winner
		Joe Cepeda	Juan Bobo Goes to Work	Honor
2004	author	Julia Alvarez	Before We Were Free	Winner
		Nancy Osa	Cuba 15	Honor
		Amada Irma Pérez	Mi Diario de Aquí Hasta Allá	Honor
	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book	Winner	[6]
		Robert Casilla	First Day in Grapes	Honor
		David Diaz	The Pot That Juan Built	Honor
		Yuyi Morales	Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez	Honor
2006	author	Viola Canales	The Tequila Worm	Winner	[7]
		Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!	Honor
		Pat Mora	Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart	Honor
		Pam Muñoz Ryan	Becoming Naomi León	Honor
	illustrator	Raúl Colón	Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart	Winner	[7]
		Lulu Delacre	Arrorró, Mi Niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games	Honor
		David Diaz	César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!	Honor
		Rafael López	Me Llamo Celia: La Vida de Celia Cruz	Honor
2008	author	Margarita Engle	The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano	Winner
		Carmen Agra Deedy	Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale	Honor
		Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!	Honor
		Marisa Montes	Los Gatos Black on Halloween	Honor
	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Los Gatos Black on Halloween	Winner	[6]
		Raúl Colón	Me llamo Gabito: la vida de Gabriel García Márquez	Honor
		Maya Christina Gonzalez	Mis colores, mi mundo	Honor
2009	author	Margarita Engle	The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom	Winner	[8][9][10]
		Yuyi Morales	Just In Case	Honor	[8]
		Francisco Jiménez	Reaching Out	Honor	[8]
		Lucía M. González	The Storyteller's Candle	Honor	[8]
	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Just In Case	Winner	[6][8]
		Rudy Gutierrez	Papá and Me	Honor	[8]
		Lulu Delacre	The Storyteller's Candle	Honor	[8]
		Amy Córdova	What Can You Do With a Rebozo?	Honor	[8]
2010	author	Julia Alvarez	Return to Sender	Winner	[11][12][13]
		Carmen T. Bernier-Grand	Diego: Bigger Than Life	Honor	[11][13]
		Georgina Lazaro	Federico García Lorca	Honor	[11][13]
	illustrator	Rafael López	Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros	Winner	[11][13]
		David Diaz	Diego: Bigger Than Life	Honor	[11][13]
		Yuyi Morales	My Abuelita	Honor	[11][13]
		John Parra	Gracias • Thanks	Honor	[11][13]
2011	author	Pam Muñoz Ryan	The Dreamer	Winner	[14][15]
		Margarita Engle	The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba	Honor	[15]
		Enrique Flores-Galbis	90 Miles to Havana	Honor	[15]
		George Ancona	¡Ole! Flamenco	Honor	[15]
	illustrator	Eric Velasquez	Grandma's Gift	Winner	[14][15]
		Amy Córdova	Fiesta Babies	Honor	[15]
		David Diaz	Me, Frida	Honor	[15]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin	Honor	[15]
2012	author	Guadalupe Garcia McCall	Under the Mesquite	Winner	[16]
		Margarita Engle	Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck	Honor	[16]
		Xavier Garza	Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller	Honor	[16]
	illustrator	Duncan Tonatiuh	Diego Rivera: His World and Ours	Winner	[16]
		Rafael López	The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred	Honor	[16]
		Sara Palacios	Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol McDonald no combina	Honor	[16]
2013	author	Benjamin Alire Sáenz	Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe	Winner	[17]
		Sonia Manzano	The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano	Honor	[17]
	illustrator	David Diaz	Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert	Winner	[17]
2014	author	Meg Medina	Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass	Winner	[18][19]
		Margarita Engle	The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist	Honor	[19]
		Matt de la Peña	The Living	Honor	[19]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale	Honor	[19]
	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Niño Wrestles the World	Winner	[6][19]
		Angela Dominguez	Maria Had a Little Llama/María Tenía una Llamita	Honor	[19]
		Rafael López	Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo	Honor	[19]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale	Honor	[19]
2015	author	Marjorie Agosín	I Lived on Butterfly Hill	Winner	[20]
		Juan Felipe Herrera	Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes	Honor	[20]
	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Viva Frida	Winner	[6][20]
		John Parra	Green Is a Chile Pepper	Honor	[20]
		Susan Guevara	Little Roja Riding Hood	Honor	[20]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation	Honor	[20]
2016	author	Margarita Engle	Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir	Winner	[9][21]
		David Bowles	The Smoking Mirror	Honor	[21]
		Meg Medina	Mango, Abuela, and Me	Honor	[21]
	illustrator	Rafael López	The Drum Dream Girl	Winner	[21]
		Antonio Castro	My Tata's Remedies; Los remedios de mi tata	Honor	[21]
		Angela Dominguez	Mango, Abuela, and Me	Honor	[21]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras	Honor	[21]
2017	author	Juana Medina	Juana & Lucas	Winner	[22][23]
		Alexandra Diaz	The Only Road	Honor	[22]
	illustrator	Raúl Gonzalez	Lowriders to the Center of the Earth	Winner	[22]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	Esquivel!: Space-Age Sound Artist	Honor	[22]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes	Honor	[22]
2018	author	Ruth Behar	Lucky Broken Girl	Winner	[24]
		Celia C. Perez	The First Rule of Punk	Honor	[24]
		Pablo Cartaya	The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora	Honor	[24]
	illustrator	Juana Martinez-Neal	La Princesa and the Pea	Winner	[24][25]
		Adriana M. Garcia	All Around Us	Honor	[24]
		John Parra	Frida Kahlo And Her Animalitos	Honor	[24]
2019	author	Elizabeth Acevedo	The Poet X	Winner	[26][27]
		David Bowles	They Call Me Güero	Honor	[27]
	illustrator	Yuyi Morales	Dreamers / Soñadores	Winner	[27]
		José Ramírez	When Angels Sing	Honor	[27]
		Leo Espinosa	Islandborn	Honor	[27]
2020	author	Carlos Hernandez	Sal and Gabi Break the Universe	Winner	[28]
		Rebecca Balcárcel	The Other Half of Happy	Honor	[28]
		Angela Cervantes	Lety Out Loud	Honor	[28]
		Anika Aldamuy Denise	Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré	Honor	[28]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War	Honor	[28]
	illustrator	Rafael López	Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln	Winner	[28]
		Carlos Aponte	Across the Bay	Honor	[28]
		Raúl Gonzalez	¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market	Honor	[28]
		Zeke Peña	My Papi Has a Motorcycle	Honor	[28]
2021	children's author	Ernesto Cisneros	Efrén Divided	Winner	[29][30]
		Adrianna Cuevas	The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez	Honor	[29][30]
		Donna Barba Higuera	Lupe Wong Won't Dance	Honor	[29][30]
	illustrator	Raúl Gonzalez	¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat	Winner	[29][30][31]
		Elisa Chavarri	Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano/Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello	Honor	[29][30]
	young adult author	Yamile Saied Méndez	Furia	Winner	[29][30][32]
		Lilliam Rivera	Never Look Back	Honor	[29][30]
		Jenny Torres Sanchez	We Are Not from here	Honor	[29][30]
2022	children's author	Donna Barba Higuera	The Last Cuentista	Winner	[33][34][35][36]
		Alda P. Dobbs	Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna	Honor	[34][35]
		Gloria Amescua	Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua	Honor	[34][35]
		Nomar Perez	De aquí como el coquí	Honor	[34][35]
	illustrator	Raúl Gonzalez	¡Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge	Winner	[34][35]
		C. G. Esperanza	Boogie Boogie, Y’all	Honor	[34][35]
		Loris Lora	May Your Life Be Deliciosa	Honor	[34][35]
		Yuyi Morales	Bright Star	Honor	[34][35]
		Nomar Perez	De aquí como el coquí	Honor	[34][35]
	young adult author	Raquel Vasquez Gilliland	How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe	Winner	[34][35]
		Jonny Garza Villa	Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun	Honor	[34][35]
		Laekan Zea Kemp	Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet	Honor	[34][35]
		Marcia Argueta Mickelson	Where I Belong	Honor	[34][35]
2023	children's author	Claribel A. Ortega	Frizzy	Winner	[37][38]
		Karina Nicole González	The Coquíes Still Sing	Honor	[37][38]
		Stephen Briseño	The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border	Honor	[37][38]
		Celia C. Pérez	Tumble	Honor	[37][38]
	illustrator	Adriana M. Garcia	Where Wonder Grows	Winner	[37][38]
		Krystal Quiles	The Coquíes Still Sing	Honor	[37][38]
		Duncan Tonatiuh	A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters	Honor	[37][38]
		Mirelle Ortega	Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land	Honor	[37][38]
		Loris Lora	Phenomenal AOC: The Roots and Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez	Honor	[37][38]
		Kat Fajardo	Srta. Quinces	Honor	[37][38]
		Magdalena Mora	Still Dreaming/Seguimos soñando	Honor	[37][38]
	young adult author	Vincent Tirado	Burn Down, Rise Up	Winner	[37][38][39]
		Natalia Sylvester	Breathe and Count Back from Ten	Honor	[37][38]
		Camille Gomera-Tavarez	High Spirits	Honor	[37][38]
		Sonora Reyes	The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School	Honor	[37][38]
2024	children's author	Pedro Martín	Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir	Winner	[40]
		Donna Barba Higuera	Alebrijes	Honor
		Jasminne Mendez	Aniana del Mar Jumps In	Honor
		Mariana Llanos	Benita y las Criaturas Nocturnas	Honor
		Jesús Trejo	Papá's Magical Water-Jug Clock	Honor
		Andrea Beatriz Arango	Something Like Home	Honor
	illustrator	Pedro Martín	Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir	Winner	[40]
		José B. Ramírez	Mi papá es un agrícola/My Father, the Farmworker	Honor
		Eliza Kinkz	Papá's Magical Water-Jug Clock	Honor
		Adriana M. Garcia	Remembering	Honor
	young adult author	Ari Tison	Saints of the Household	Winner	[40]
		David Bowles	The Prince and the Coyote	Honor
		Edel Rodriguez	Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey	Honor

Recipients of multiple medals and honors

George Ancona, Yuyi Morales, and Duncan Tonatiuh have received medals or honors for their roles as both author and illustrator. Duncan Tonatiuh is the only person to receive multiple awards in one year for two different works.

Belpré Medals

One person has won six Belpré Medals.

• Yuyi Morales, as illustrator 2004, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2019.

Three people have won three Belpré Medals.

• Margarita Engle, as author 2008, 2009, 2016.
• Rafael López as illustrator 2010, 2016, 2020
• Raúl Gonzalez, as illustrator 2017, 2021, 2022

Multiple people have won two Belpré Medals: Julia Alvarez as author, Susan Guevara as illustrator, and Pam Muñoz Ryan as author.

Belpré Honors

One person has won eight Belpré Honors.

• Duncan Tonatiuh, as illustrator 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, and twice in 2017; as author 2014 and 2020.

Two people won four Belpré Honors

• David Diaz, as illustrator 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011.
• Yuyi Morales, as illustrator 2004, 2010; 2022; as author 2009.

Multiple people have won three Belpré Honors.

• Francisco X. Alarcón, as author 1998, 2000, 2002.
• George Ancona, as illustrator 1996, 2000; as author 2011.
• Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, as author 2006, 2008, 2010.
• Lulu Delacre, as illustrator 1996, 2006, 2009.
• Margarita Engle, as author 2011, 2012, 2014.
• Rafael López, as illustrator 2006, 2012, 2014.
• John Parra, as illustrator 2010, 2015, 2018.
• David Bowles, as author, 2016, 2019, 2024

Multiple people have won two Belpré Honors. As illustrator: Amy Córdova, Angela Dominguez, and Carmen Lomas Garza. As author: Juan Felipe Herrera, and Francisco Jiménez as author.

Medal and Honor

Several authors have received both a Belpré Medal and a Belpré Honor: Raúl Colón, David Diaz, Margarita Engle, Carmen Lomas Garza, Susan Guevara, Rafael López, Meg Medina, Yuyi Morales, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Duncan Tonatiuh.

Works with multiple awards

• Diego: Bigger than Life was the subject of two honors for author and illustrator in 2010.
• The Storyteller's Candle was the subject of two honors for author and illustrator in 2009.
• Just In Case was the subject of a medal for illustrator and an honor for author in 2009.
• Los Gatos Black on Halloween was the subject of a medal for illustrator and an honor for author in 2008
• Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart was the subject of a medal for illustrator and an honor for author in 2006.
• César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! was the subject of two honors for author and illustrator in 2006.
• 'El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale was the subject of two honors for author and illustrator in 1996.

Further reading

• Ebook Central Academic Complete., and Rose Zertuche Treviño. The Pura Belpré Awards: Celebrating Latino Authors and Illustrators. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006.