Pura Belpré Award
2006

Medal Winner for Narrative:

Viola Canales The Tequila Worm YA CAN
Sofia, 14, lives in McAllen, TX. What she lacks in material possessions, she makes up for in personality and intelligence. When she is called a taco head by a student at her school, she decides to kick that girl by getting better grades and being a better soccer player than her tormentor. As a result of this determination, Sofia is offered a scholarship to the elite Saint Lukes school in Austin. Now she must convince her family and herself that she is up to the challenge.

Medal Winner for Illustration:

Raul Colón, Illustrator, Written by Pat Mora  Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart.  j E Award MOR  
In a cozy village, Doña Flor grows from an unusual child, who can speak the language of plants and animals, into a giant, whose heart is as large as her enormous hands and feet. After ferocious animal cries terrorize the villagers, Flor sets out to find their source. The culprit--a tiny, mischievous puma, who ingeniously amplifies his kittenish growl into a beastly roar--is an amusing surprise, and Flor soothes the cat in its own language, returning peace to her village.

Honor Books

Honor Winners for Narrative

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! J 811.54 BER
Born in 1927 in Yuma, Arizona, César Chavez lived the hard-scrabble life of a migrant worker during the depression. He grew to be a charismatic leader and founded the National Farm Workers Association, an organization that fought for basic rights for his fellow farm workers. In powerful poems and dramatic stylized illustrations, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and David Díaz pay tribute to his life and legacy.
 

Raul Colón, Illustrator, Written by Pat Mora  Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart.  j E Award MOR  
In a cozy village, Doña Flor grows from an unusual child, who can speak the language of plants and animals, into a giant, whose heart is as large as her enormous hands and feet. After ferocious animal cries terrorize the villagers, Flor sets out to find their source. The culprit--a tiny, mischievous puma, who ingeniously amplifies his kittenish growl into a beastly roar--is an amusing surprise, and Flor soothes the cat in its own language, returning peace to her village.

Pam Muñoz Ryan Becoming Naomi León YA RYA
Naomi Soledad León Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, her name for one. Then there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her difficulty speaking up, & her status at school as "nobody special." But according to Gram's self-prophecies, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. Luckily, Naomi also has her carving to strengthen her spirit. And life with Gram & her little brother, Owen, is happy & peaceful. That is, until their mother reappears after 7 years of being gone, stirring up all sorts of questions & challenging Naomi to discover who she really is.

Honor Winners for IIlustration

Selected & illustrated by Lulu Delacre  Arrorró, Mi Niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games J 398.8 ARR
The bright, beautiful oil-wash illustrations for these 15 lullabies, nursery rhymes, and finger-play games reflect the diversity of the Latino experience. The settings vary-- from city streets to picking fields; from cozy bedroom to library, school, art gallery, and grocery store--and the caregivers who soothe the children in the pictures include mother, father, sibling, and grandparent. The bilingual text appears first in Spanish, with the English translation beneath or by its side, and most selections are accompanied by instructions for a finger-play. Musical notation and comments about the melodies are at the back.
 

David Diaz’, Illustrator. Written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!
J 811.54 BER
Born in 1927 in Yuma, Arizona, César Chavez lived the hard-scrabble life of a migrant worker during the depression. He grew to be a charismatic leader and founded the National Farm Workers Association, an organization that fought for basic rights for his fellow farm workers. In powerful poems and dramatic stylized illustrations, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and David Díaz pay tribute to his life and legacy.

Rafael López, Illustrator. Written by Monica Brown My Name Is Celia/ Me Llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/ La Vida de Celia Cruz. J 921 CRUZ
An exuberant picture-book biography of the Cuban-born salsa singer. From its rhythmic opening, the first-person narrative dances readers through Cruz's youth in Havana, a childhood bounded by scents of nature and home, the sweet taste of sugar, and the sound of music. A singer from an early age, Cruz sang so continually that one of her teachers finally urged her to share her voice with the world. Thus encouraged, she entered competitions, undeterred when her racial heritage prevented her from competing - undeterred, even, when the advent of Castro's communist regime forced her to leave Cuba as a refugee. Positive even in exile, Cruz made New York City her own and took Miami by storm.