Introduce your little ones to the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City, Pura Belpré, in both English and Spanish!
Pura Belpré was born on February 2, 1899 in Cidra, Puerto Rico. A gifted puppeteer and storyteller, Belpré captivated millions of bilingual readers across New York City - and worldwide. Her children's book, Perez y Martina, became the first Spanish language children's book published by a mainstream U.S. press. She left such a lasting impact on the reading world and Latino community that the Pura Belpré Award is named in honor her legacy.
Patty Rodriguez is the cofounder of Lil’ Libros, a publisher of bilingual children’s books and coauthor of more than 15 books celebrating the Latino-American experience in this country. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, and Rolling Stone magazine. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
Ariana Stein is the cofounder of Lil’ Libros, a Los Angeles-based publisher that celebrates bilingualism and Latin American culture. Since 2014, she has coauthored a variety of first concept children’s books. She has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, CNN, KTLA, and more.
Citlali Reyes is a Mexican illustrator. Since she was a child, she always loved doodling and telling stories through images; this drew her to the enchanting world of illustration where she has resided for almost ten years. In 2014, she partnered with Lil’ Libros to create their first 3 books and over time she has illustrated more than 30 bilingual children’s books for the publisher. Now she finds herself in a new adventure as author and illustrator of her debut book, Sana, sana, colita de rana. When she is not drawing for countless hours, Citlali enjoys reading, stargazing or playing around with her camera.