Belpré Award

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. 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. 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.

Past Belpré Medal Winners

A list of all winner and honor books from 1996 to present. Established in 1996, this award is presented 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.

2024 Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Award

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir

Illustrated and written by Pedro Martín and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir” is a graphic memoir set in 1977 about Pedro and his family on a road trip to Mexico in their Winnebago. They are on their way to bring their grandfather home to live with them, but first they must help him accomplish a special mission.

Honor Books for Youth Illustration Award

Mi papá es un agrícola/My Father, the Farmworker

Illustrated by Jose B. Ramirez, written by J. Roman Perez Varela, and published by Lil' Libros.

Ramirez quietly centers the dignity and humanity of the farmworker in warm and cool colored illustrations depicting earth, sky, and the agrícola. The use of bright, warm colors under a large sun and opened hands on two of the double-page spreads effectively show the physical toil of this job.

Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock

Illustrated by Eliza Kinkz, written by Jesus Trejo, and published by Minerva, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, a division of Astra Publishing House.

Eliza Kinkz’s mixed-media illustrations in “pencil, ink, gouache, crayons – and a few drops of queso” make this already heartwarming and laugh-out-loud story exceptional. Kinkz is adept at portraying humor from a child’s perspective with visual gems: the luchadora end pages, trees with faces, sunbathing cats and skateboarding peacocks.

Remembering

Illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, written by Xelena Gonzalez, and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division.

Garcia’s illustrations gracefully depict the honoring of a beloved, deceased pet on Día de los Muertos. They are rendered in acrylic paint on paper in rich cool colors with sparks of warmth, symbolizing the love and emotional heart of this story. Garcia excels at beautifully depicting a longstanding tradition.

2024 Pura Belpré Children's Author Award

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir

Illustrated and written by Pedro Martín and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir” is a graphic memoir set in 1977 about Pedro and his family on a road trip to Mexico in their Winnebago. They are on their way to bring their grandfather home to live with them, but first they must help him accomplish a special mission.

Honor Books for Children's Author

Alebrijes

Written by Donna Barba Higuera, illustrated by David Álvarez, and published by Levine Querido.

In “Alebrijes,” Higuera’s dystopian Earth setting has been a wasteland for 400 years when Leandro, a poor, oppressed Cascabel descendant of San Joaquin Valley workers is banished from Pocatel. The ruling elite do not expect his exile to result in an upheaval of their world, one that frees the Cascabeles.

Aniana del Mar Jumps In

written by Jasminne Mendez and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Aniana loves the ocean and dreams of joining a swim team, but her mother is terrified and refuses to let her swim competitively. Then, at just 12 years old, Ani is diagnosed with a painful, chronic inflammatory disease that changes her body forever. The only relief for her pain is the water.

Benita y las Criaturas Nocturnas

written by Mariana Llanos, illustrated by Cocoretto and published by Barefoot Books.

Benita is settling in for the night with her book when she gets a visit from three different monsters straight from Peruvian folklore: Terrifying Cuco, chilling Tunche and petrifying Supay. But the tables are turned as Benita tames the monsters, turning them into book lovers, too.

Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock

Illustrated by Eliza Kinkz, written by Jesus Trejo, and published by Minerva, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, a division of Astra Publishing House.

Eliza Kinkz’s mixed-media illustrations in “pencil, ink, gouache, crayons – and a few drops of queso” make this already heartwarming and laugh-out-loud story exceptional. Kinkz is adept at portraying humor from a child’s perspective with visual gems: the luchadora end pages, trees with faces, sunbathing cats and skateboarding peacocks.

Something Like Home

written by Andrea Beatriz Arango and published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House.

Laura makes a call to 911 that changes her life forever. She is taken away from her parents–forced to live with her strict, overbearing Titi. She’s desperate to reunite with her loving mother and father and devises a plan, with the help of a puppy, to get them back.

2024 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award

Saints of the Household

written by Ari Tison and published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group.

It is the story of two Bribri brothers who come across their cousin arguing in the woods with her boyfriend–and violently attack him. As each brother considers the consequences of his actions, readers delve into a past filled with anger, grief and trauma.

Honor Books for Young Adult Author Award

The Prince and the Coyote

written by David Bowles, illustrated by Amanda Mijangos and published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido.

As the grip of the Tepaneca Empire weakens, rival Mexican city-states jockey for power, and the crown prince of Acolhua is forced into exile after a coup. The young prince bides his time and awaits his redemption. As he comes of age the Aztec empire is born.

Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey

written and illustrated by Edel Rodriguez and published by Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Co.

In words and pictures, Rodriguez chronicles his childhood in Cuba under the Castro regime, his exodus to Miami during the Mariel boatlift, and his career as an artist for “Time” magazine. It serves as a powerful reminder of what immigrants leave when they come to this country.