The Storyteller’s Candle: La velita de los cuentos

The Storyteller’s Candle: La velita de los cuentos.  Lucía González.  Illus. by Lulu Delacre.  San Francisco: Children’s Book Press, 2008.  32 pages.  $16.95 (Hardcover).  ISBN 978-0-89239-222-3.  Grades 3-5.  Bilingual.

Winter in Nueva York is very different than the warm, breezy ones that Hildamar and her family were used to in Puerto Rico. On an especially cold day before Christmas vacation began Hildamar’s family found a place to not only warm up, but a place to celebrate their favorite Puerto Rican holiday, El Día de los Reyes. This place was the public library where New York’s first Puerto Rican librarian, Pura Belpré, welcomed everyone and introduced Spanish speakers to the wealth of materials and services available to them. Pura Belpré Award Honorees Lucía González and Lulu Delacre team together to depict and relay the inspirational story of Pura Belpré and all the good she did for the community. This bilingual story teaches Spanish language and Puerto Rican culture and traditions to readers in a delightful way. Recommended.