*Indie Next List Pick*

*Junior Library Guild Selection*

"An appealing tribute and successful remedy to the lack of titles about the groundbreaking librarian...a must-have for all libraries." --School Library Journal (starred review)

An inspiring picture book biography of storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City's first Puerto Rican librarian, who championed bilingual literature.

When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpre carried the cuentos folkloricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura's legacy.

Brought to colorful life by Paola Escobar's elegant and exuberant illustrations and Anika Aldamuy Denise's lyrical text, this gorgeous book is perfect for the pioneers in your life.

Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.

A Spanish-language edition, Sembrando historias: Pura Belpre bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos, is also available.

"Anika Aldamuy Denise's intimate telling captures the magical, folk-tale feeling of Belpre's own stories. Her lyrical text, sprinkled like fairy dust with Spanish words, begs to be read aloud, while Paola Escobar's stylishly detailed and warmly expressive illustrations capture the joy of sharing stories." -New York Times Book Review

This book has been graded for interest at 7+ years.

There are 40 pages in this book. This book was published 2019 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc .

Anika Aldamuy Denise, is the celebrated author of many picture books, including Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre; Starring Carmen!; Lights, Camera, Carmen!; and Monster Trucks. A tradition she began with her oldest daughter--of leaving short poems and love notes for each other to find--inspired her book The Love Letter. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband, three children, and a very lovey kitty named Charlie. Visit Anika online at www. anikadenise. com. Paola Escobar, the illustrator of Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre, grew up traveling from town to town in Colombia. From a very young age she liked to draw the stories her grandmother Clara told about her ancestors, the countryside, and animals. Today, Paola is an illustrator who is passionate about telling stories of her own, having published with SM Spain, Planeta, Norma, and more. She lives very happily in Bogota, Colombia, with her husband and their dog, Flora. Isabel Thomas is a science writer and children's author who has been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize, the ASE Science Book of the Year, and the Blue Peter Book Awards. Paola Escobar is a freelance illustrator who lives happily in Bogota with her husband and dog.