The Reading Warehouse

The winter of 1929 feels especially cold to cousins Hildamar and Santiago--they arrived in New York City from sunny Puerto Rico only months before. Their island home feels very far away indeed, especially with Three Kings' Day rapidly approaching. But then a magical thing happened. A visitor appears in their class, a gifted storyteller and librarian by the name of Pura Belpr . She opens the children's eyes to the public library and its potential to be the living, breathing heart of the community. The library, after all, belongs to everyone--whether you speak Spanish, English, or both. The award-winning team of Luc a Gonz lez and Lulu Delacre have crafted an homage to Pura Belpr , New York City's first Latina librarian. Through her vision and dedication, the warmth of Puerto Rico came to the island of Manhattan in a most unexpected way.

LULU DELACRE is the illustrator of numerous award-winning books, several of which she also wrote or compiled. Her books range from picture books to chapter books to YA novels. Delacre has been creating books since 1980 and has produced more than thirty-five titles. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Delacre's Latino heritage informs many of her works. A three-time Pura Belpré Award honoree, she was also honored in 1998 as Maryland Woman in the Arts and was a jurorfor the 2003 National Book Awards. Delacre and her husband live in Silver Spring, Maryland.