She Persisted: Pura Belpré
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Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Pura Belpré!
Pura Belpré grew up in Puerto Rico surrounded by stories. When she moved to New York and was offered the chance to work at the New York Public Library, she was thrilled to be able to help share her stories with children—especially multicultural and multilingual children like her. She persisted in bringing Spanish and bilingual storytelling and books to libraries across the city and across the country, and she wrote books and stories of her own to bring even more of her culture to people everywhere. Pura gave Spanish speakers in New York and around the country the opportunity to read and find community in ways they never had before, and she changed the way libraries reach readers even to this day.
In this chapter book biography by bestselling and award-winning author Meg Medina, readers learn about the amazing life of Pura Belpré--and how she persisted.
Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Pura Belpré's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.
And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Sonia Sotomayor, Diana Taurasi, Malala Yousafzai, and more!
Meg Medina
Meg Medina was the 2023–2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and grew up in Queens, New York. An author of Cuban descent, Meg writes stories that celebrate Latino culture, as in The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind; Mango, Abuela, and Me; Burn Baby Burn; and Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away. Her teen novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass won the Pura Belpré Award and was published as a graphic novel in 2023. Her middle grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears won the Newbery Medal—and led to two additional Merci Suárez novels: Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool. Her nonfiction titles include She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor and She Persisted: Pura Belpré.
More by Meg Medina
Marilisa Jiménez García
Marilisa Jiménez García is Associate Professor of Children's and Young Adult Literary Cultures at Rutgers University-Camden, Department of Childhood Studies. She is the author of Side by Side: US Empire, Puerto Rico, and the Roots of American Youth Literature and Culture, which won the Children's Literature Association Book Prize for monographs
More by Marilisa Jiménez García
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton, PhD, is an author, advocate, and the executive producer of Of Many, a documentary focusing on building relationships across multifaith divides. She is also the co-founder of the Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership, a pioneering initiative devoted to educating and inspiring religious and spiritual leaders to utilize multifaith dialogue and service as a force for positive social change.
More by Chelsea Clinton
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