The library will be closed Sunday, March 31st, for Easter

Memorial Hall Library

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15-October 15. This month is specifically designated to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The unusual date range (as opposed to September 1-30) was chosen to include September 15, which is the independence day of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; as well as October 12, the day designated as Colombus Day or Dia de la Raza.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are this year's Pura Belpre Award medal and honor books. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

 

Lucky broken girl
Lucky broken girl
by Ruth Behar

Author Award
In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.
La princesa and the pea
La princesa and the pea
by Susan Middleton Elya

Artist Award
A rhyming twist on a classic fairy tale in which a queen places a pea under a young lady's mattress to see if she is truly a princess.
The epic fail of Arturo Zamora
The epic fail of Arturo Zamora
by Pablo Cartaya

Author Honor
A relaxing summer under the banyan trees in Miami is turned upside-down by Arturo's cute new neighbor, who helps him in his quest to use the power of poetry, protest and family stories to stop the plans of a land developer who wants to demolish his Abuela's restaurant and surrounding community.
The first rule of punk
The first rule of punk
by Celia C. Pérez

Author Honor
When her first day at a new school is overshadowed by a clash with a queen bee and her dress code violating punk-rock clothes, 12-year-old Malú listens to her faraway dad's advice and resolves to be herself by pursuing the interests she loves and standing up to an anti-punk administration.
 
All around us
All around us
by Xelena Gonzalez

Artist Honor
Finding circles everywhere, a grandfather and his granddaughter meditate on the cycles of life and nature.
Frida Kahlo and her animalitos
Frida Kahlo and her animalitos
by Monica Brown

Artist Honor
A picture book tribute to the iconic Mexican artist reveals how the animals in her life and her personal struggles inspired many of her works of art and how her achievements raised awareness about her indigenous culture and the female form.
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