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Two days before the ALA conference I found out that I didn’t have a plane ticket, uh-oh! The most important event of year for me, and I wasn’t going to make it. The traveling agent said I didn’t make it clear I wanted to have a ticket to Chicago, even though I bought the tickets for my husband and my son so that they will sit next to me on the plane and be with me when I received my award. Oh, well. Fortunately, the gods of the airplanes came to my rescue and got me to ALA just in time for the celebrations.

Some of the most anticipated events at the American Library Association conference are the award ceremonies for the different children’s books categories, including the Caldecott and Newberry medals. This year I went to the conference to receive the Pura Belpre Medal for my book Just in Case: A trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. And it was heaven!

I did not exercise, I did not tour the city, I did not shop for souvenirs; instead I ate lots of dinners with librarians, signed books at the exhibit, and found new treasures among new books.

Some incredible books I saw at the exhibit:
Stitches, by David Small. What a book! This graphic novel (not exactly for little kids) is a masterpiece. Not only David has an incredible life story to tell, but he is a master at telling it with pictures.
Chicken Dance, by Tammi Sauer and Dan Santa is a visual riot!
Then for something softer there was Henry’s Night by D. B Johnson and Linda Michelin, with its soft and luminous illustrations. Looked at it for hours.
The book I can’t wait for? The Dreamer, by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Peter Sis. Could there be a most perfect match? this book isn't coming out until Spring next year. Too long to wait.
I also saw my sister Magaly’s two new books, What Can You Do with a Paleta? and A Piñata in a Pine Tree.

But, of course, my day was Sunday. The Pura Belpre Award Celebration started at 1:30. Me? I Started with a signing at 11 am, and ended up signing books after the ceremony at about 5 pm, with only a short time to get ready for attending the Caldecott and Newberry banquet that evening.

But it was all so joyful! At the Pura Belpre Ceremony I finally met Rudy Gutierrez, who not only creates striking art, but who gave a much felt acceptance speech for his Pura Belpre honor book, Papa and Me.
I also met Francisco Jiménez for the first time, and people were right. He is so gentle and noble. Amazing just like his books.

Have you ever been at a Pura Belpre celebration? If you haven’t you are missing a great fiesta. There were multicolored ornaments hanging from the ceiling, Latino books on the tables, presenters and award winners—some dressed on rebosos, Virgin of Guadalupe printed dresses; I wore huge red dangling earrings to go with the merriment. Of course there were also speeches, tears (muchas lagrimas, many of them mine), singing, and little girls dressed as Jarochas (a traditional dress from Veracruz, my state) dancing to the son Jarocho tunes.

I created the artwork for the program. This is what the art looked like:


I was the last one to receive my medal and give my acceptance speech (here you can find the list on winners). A few minutes before I also received an honor award for the narrative on my book Just in Case, but they put me at the end of the speaker’s lineup so that I could give thanks for both awards. Except my speech was a trick! Instead of giving only a speech, this year I brought an extra present for everybody; something I made with the help of friends and with mucho corazón. If you were at the ceremony you received it. If you weren’t there, you can still have it here (or here):

Invited from Yuyi Morales on Vimeo.

A while ago public television of Sacramento contacted me because they had heard author Erin Dealey said during a presentation something about me: that I learned English watching Sesame Street.

KVIE, the public station from Sacramento eventually came to my house and filmed a testimony where I explained how that happened. I know that my testimony was aired in Sacramento because once I went to do a school visit there, and some parents were telling me how they had seen me in their TV, although it took me some time to figure out what they were talking about!

I have just found out that CPB received earlier this year a PRWeek award for their My Source initiative in which KVIE had participated with one of their spots, and there, featured in the news, is the spot they made with me.




You can take a closer look at article here, and can find more filmed testimonies here.

Just a Minute has been produced in video, and my first copies arrived on time for the celebrations.
The story is narrated by su servidora, yours truly. The producers at Nutmeg Media asked me earlier this year to do the recording where I read Just a Minute, counted from one to ten in English and Spanish, and also talked about creating the book.
So there I am narrating in English the story of Señor Calavera and Grandma Beetle in all my glorious Mexican accent. I would say I better get used to it because my English intonations are here to last me for the rest of my life.

by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

It’s only natural for kids to want to pack away their books during summer vacation. They want to play with friends, swim, and ride their bikes. However, a summer spent without books could cause their current reading levels to drop before school starts in the fall. If you make summer reading a pleasant pastime, kids will be more likely to pick up a book.

Summer is a great time for kids to branch out and try reading something new. In summer there are no book reports or projects to complete when they finish a book. Reading should be for pure enjoyment. Encourage your children to read books from many different authors and genres. If they normally read mysteries, suggest that they try biographies, historical fiction, science fiction, or poetry. Don’t limit summer reading to hardcover or paperback books either. Children would probably enjoy reading comic books, magazines, and newspapers also. The objective in the summer is to make reading fun.

Learning how to choose their own reading material is an important skill for young children. Children are more apt to read a book if they select it. Parents can model book selection by taking their children to a library or a bookstore. Pick up a book and look at the cover. Next, flip through the pages and read the jacket out loud. Let your children hear your thoughts. For example, “I love books by this author. I’m so glad he has written another one. I think I’ll check it out and see if I like it.” Children also need to understand that it’s ok to not like a book. Everyone has started a book and then decided it wasn’t for them. Children do not instinctively know that it’s ok to not finish a book if they don’t like it.

Children might become overwhelmed when they see the huge selection of books available at the bookstore or the library. It might be a good idea to visit some websites and get some book recommendations first. Here are some excellent websites to try:

RIF (Reading is Fundamental

The RIF (Reading is Fundamental) website if full of great information. There are fun summer activities for families that are centered on reading. The website also has recommended reading lists broken down by children’s ages and interests.

KidsReads.org

This website is excellent if your child is looking for the newest releases. Each month a new selection of books are reviewed and posted. Frequently there are in-depth author interviews on the website so kids can read about their favorite authors.

American Library Association

The American Library Association has lists of recommended reading that will please everyone. The lists include classics, paperbacks, Newbery Award books, Caldecott Award books, and many others. Children will never run out of book suggestions after visiting this site.

This summer can be a great adventure for your children when you mix free time with some great books. Have a great summer and happy reading.