Sara Palacios and Rafael López - Pura Belpré Illustrator Honors

Congratulations Sara and Rafael!

The American Library Association announced their prestigious annual awards today---we were thrilled to see two FCL talents on the list! Sara Palacios and Rafael López were awarded 2012 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honors for their latest picture books (and Sara's debut picture book in the US!). 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. The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.

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2012 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Books

The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred illustrated by Rafael López, written by Samantha R. Vamos, and published by Charlesbridge.

Nothing is better than a delicious bowl of arroz con leche unless, of course, a host of farm animals have a hand in the preparation! Lopez’s blazing illustrations for the rhythmic, rollicking cumulative tale, “The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred” radiate a cheerful exuberance and are peppered with Latino cultural details that extend Vamos’ perky narrative.

Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match /Marisol McDonald no combina illustrated by Sara Palacios, written by Monica Brown, and published by Children’s Book Press, an imprint of Lee and Low Books Inc.

Bright and vivacious Marisol, a young Peruvian-Scottish-American girl, loves peanut butter and jelly burritos and speaks both English and Spanish. Unfortunately, her teacher and classmates do not appreciate Marisol’s mashing of cultures. Using mixed media techniques, Palacios’ illustrations exude child appeal and biculturalism, allowing astute visual readers to identify the blending of cultures.

We're thrilled for Sara and Rafael, and even more thrilled and that their gorgeous books will be in the hands of so many young readers thanks to the wonderful librarians that support Latino/ Latina artists. We'll be spotlighting Sara and Rafael in the coming weeks for a look at their creative work, forthcoming books and what they are both working on next.

In the meantime, you can read more about MARISOL MCDONALD in Monica Brown's guest post on Cynsations blog.

Visit with Rafael in this recent Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast feature.

For a complete list of 2012 American Library Association award winners see the Publishers Weekly announcement here, and click here for the complete list of 2012 Pura Belpré award winners.

We hope you'll join us congratulating Sara and Rafael by visiting your favorite bookseller and adding these winners to your bookshelf!