Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre

A graphic novel by Anika Aldamuy Denise and illustrated by Paola Escobar about the life of Pura Belpre. The novel begins with Pura leaving her home of Puerto Rico in 1921 to live in New York. She brings stories that her grandmother taught her and now can plant those seeds in her new home. Her first job is at a garment factory, but it has cold floors, which does not allow for seeds to grow. A blessing happens and she can get a job at a library where she is hired to be a bilingual assistant to a librarian. Sadly, there are no Puerto Rican folktales on the library’s shelves, but luckily Pura can add to the library’s collection with stories from her abuela. In the library’s story room, she reads stories that her abuela told her. In time, Pura sends her stories to a publisher, and they are published into a book. Later, Pura marries Clarence Cameron White, and she ends up going on a new life adventure. Many years later Clarence dies, and Pura goes back to the libraries she once taught at only to see that her stories have inspired others. This book’s illustrations are intricate, and the colors are reminiscent of earlier eras. A story that will inspire students to read and strive for success.

Denise, A. (2019). Planting stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre. (P. Escobar, Illust.) Harpercollins Childrens Books.