2020 Pura Belpré Award

2020 Author Award Winner  

“SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE”

by Carlos Hernandez

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: 3 – 7

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (an imprint of Disney Book Group)

ISBN-13: 978-1368022828

“SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE” is the story of 13-year-old magician Sal Vidón who meets Gabi Reál, an aspiring journalist and student council president. Together they try to solve the mystery of how Sal “breaks the universe” and why they are the only ones who can see the hole.

2020 Illustrator Award Winner

“DANCING HANDS: HOW TERESA CARREÑO PLAYED THE PIANO FOR PRESIDENT LINCOLN”

by Margarita Engle

Illustrated by Rafael López

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Preschool – 3

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division)

ISBN-13: 978-1481487405

“DANCING HANDS: HOW TERESA CARREÑO PLAYED THE PIANO FOR PRESIDENT LINCOLN” is about Teresa Carreño who started playing the piano as a young girl and was writing songs by age six. Forced to flee Venezuela, she moved to New York, traveled and was invited to play for President Abraham Lincoln. 

2020 Author Honor Book

“LETY OUT LOUD”

by Angela Cervantes

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: 3 – 7

Publisher: Scholastic Press (an imprint of Scholastic Inc.)

ISBN-13: 978-1338159356

“LETY OUT LOUD” introduces the reader to a variety of immigrant experiences through Lety Muñoz, an English language learner who spends the summer volunteering at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter. Although at first she is hesitant to speak out, Lety learns to use her voice to stand up for others.

“THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY”

by Rebecca Balcárcel

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: 5 – 9

Publisher: Chronicle Books 

ISBN-13: 978-1452169989

As Quijana enters seventh grade, she feels in between, grappling with a new school, new friends and her half-Guatemalan heritage. In “THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY” she struggles to find her place within both her friendships and her family, stumbling and succeeding on her path to discovering her authentic self.

“PLANTING STORIES: THE LIFE OF LIBRARIAN AND STORYTELLER PURA BELPRÉ”

by Anika Aldamuy Denise

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Preschool – 3

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books (a division of HarperCollins Publishers)

ISBN-13: 978-0062748683

“PLANTING STORIES: THE LIFE OF LIBRARIAN AND STORYTELLER PURA BELPRÉ” lyrically shares the life, as well as work, of librarian, storyteller, author and library advocate Pura Belpré. Following her from Puerto Rico to her new life in Nueva York, Denise’s text captures Belpré’s lifelong passion for storytelling and public libraries.

“SOLDIER FOR EQUALITY: JOSÉ DE LA LUZ SÁENZ AND THE GREAT WAR”

written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: 1 – 3

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (an imprint of ABRAMS)

ISBN-13: 978-1419736827

“SOLDIER FOR EQUALITY: JOSÉ DE LA LUZ SÁENZ AND THE GREAT WAR” is the story of Mexican American activist/World War I soldier José de la Luz Sáenz.  His struggle against racism and injustice in early 20th century Texas is presented in a concise but thorough manner, complemented by extensive notes.

2020 Illustrator Honor Books

“ACROSS THE BAY”

Illustrated and written by Carlos Aponte

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Preschool – 2

Publisher: Penguin Workshop (an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)

ISBN-13: 978-1524786625

“ACROSS THE BAY” is about Carlitos who lives happily with his mother and abuela in Cataño, a ferry ride away from Old San Juan. As Carlitos wonders about his father’s life away from them, he journeys to the city. While searching, Carlitos encounters the sights and sounds of the city. 

“MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE”

by Isabel Quintero

Illustrated by Zeke Peña

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Preschool – 3

Publisher: Kokila (an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)

ISBN-13: 978-0525553410

In “MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE” Daisy’s father is a carpenter who takes her on an electrifying motorcycle ride in the evening where she gets to see her grandparents’ yellow house, the church and other carpenters at her dad’s work, as well as the changes in her busy Latinx neighborhood.

“¡VAMOS! LET’S GO TO THE MARKET”

illustrated and written by Raúl Gonzalez

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Kindergarten – 3

Publisher: Versify (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

ISBN-13: 978-1328557261

In “¡VAMOS! LET’S GO TO THE MARKET” Little Lobo and his dog, Bernabé, make their rounds in a bustling border town market in a story sprinkled with Spanish and cultural references. There is always more to see and do at el mercado, and you never know who you’ll find there.

Higher Education

“THE GOOD LIFE: ASPIRATION, DIGNITY, AND THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF WELLBEING”

by Edward F. Fischer

Publisher: Stanford University Press

ISBN-13: 978-0804790963

What could middle-class German supermarket shoppers buying eggs and impoverished coffee farmers in Guatemala possibly have in common? Both groups use the market in pursuit of the “good life.” But what exactly is the good life? In his book, Edward Fischer examines wellbeing in very different cultural contexts to uncover shared notions of the good life and how best to achieve it. With fascinating on-the-ground narratives of Germans’ choices regarding the purchase of eggs and cars, and Guatemalans’ trade in coffee and cocaine, Fischer presents a richly layered understanding of how aspiration, opportunity, dignity, and purpose comprise the good life.

“FOOD IN CUBA: THE PURSUIT OF A DECENT MEAL”

by Hanna Garth

Publisher: Stanford University Press

ISBN-13: 978-1503604629

With the Soviet Union’s collapse, Cuba entered a period of economic hardship, and despite trade agreements, many Cubans report that they continue to live with food shortages and economic hardship. “FOOD IN CUBA” follows Cuban families as they struggle to maintain a decent quality of life in Cuba’s faltering, post-Soviet welfare state by specifically looking at both the social and the emotional dimensions of shifts in access to food. Based on extensive fieldwork, Hanna Garth examines Cuban families’ attempts to acquire and assemble “a decent meal,” unraveling the layers of household dynamics, community interactions and individual reflections on everyday life.

“MANAGING MULTICULTURALISM: INDIGENEITY AND THE STRUGGLE FOR RIGHTS IN COLOMBIA”

by Jean E. Jackson

Publisher: Stanford University Press

ISBN-13: 978-1503606227

Indigenous people in Colombia constitute 3% of the national population. Colombian indigenous communities’ success in gaining collective control of almost 30% of the national territory is nothing short of extraordinary. In ”MANAGING MULTICULTURALISM,” Jean E. Jackson examines the evolution of the Colombian indigenous movement over the course of her more than 40 years of research and fieldwork, offering developed and nuanced insight into how indigenous communities and activists changed over time, as well as how she evolved in turn. Jackson explores the politicization and deployment of multiculturalism, indigenous identity, and neoliberalism, as well as changing conceptions of cultural value and authenticity.

“ARGENTINA IN THE GLOBAL MIDDLE EAST”

by Lily Pearl Balloffet

Publisher: Stanford University Press

ISBN-13: 978-1503611740

Argentina lies at the heart of the American hemisphere’s history of global migration booms of the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century. In this context, some 140,000 Ottoman Syrians came to Argentina prior to World War I, and over the following decades, Middle Eastern communities, institutions and businesses dotted the landscape of Argentina. This book connects modern Latin American and Middle Eastern history through their shared links to global migration systems. By following the mobile lives of individuals with roots in the Levantine Middle East, Lily Pearl Balloffet sheds light on the intersections of ethnicity, migrant-homeland ties, and international relations.