Elementary Library

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre by Anika Aldamuy Denise (BIO BEL) 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 Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos 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. ●​ What do you think it was like for Pura Belpré to leave her home in Puerto Rico and come to NYC? ●​ Where does Pura Belpré first work? How does she feel about working there? What does Pura Belpré notice when she starts working in the library? ●​ What does she do when she discovers there are no Puerto Rican folktales at the library? ●​ What are some of the folktales that Pura Belpré knows? Do they remind you of any other folktales you've read or heard? Why does Pura Belpré share the folktales in English and Spanish? ●​ When Pura returns to the library after being away, how does she feel when she sees other storytellers? ●​ Why do you think the book is called Planting Stories? Pura Belpré says stories are like seeds. When you plant seeds, what happens? Is Pura Belpré really planting stories in the ground like seeds? What is she doing with stories? How do seeds and stories spread, grow and blossom? ●​ Why do you think the author wrote this book? What do you think her overall message is? Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough (BIO MOO) Once upon a time, American children couldn’t borrow library books. Reading wasn’t all that important for children, many thought. Luckily Miss Anne Carroll Moore thought otherwise! This is the true story of how Miss Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library, a bright, warm room filled with artwork, window seats, and most important of all, borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books in many different languages. Discussion Prompts: ●​ What is a library? How is a library more than just a space for books? ●​ Why did Miss Moore think children deserved their own space? How would you design a library specifically for children? ●​ Why is it important that children have the right to read as well as adults? Go Forth and Tell: The Life of August Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller by Breanna J. McDaniel Before Augusta Braxton Baker became a storyteller, she was an excellent story listener. Her grandmother brought stories like Br’er Rabbit and Arthur and Excalibur to life, teaching young Augusta that when there’s a will, there’s always a way. When she grew up, Mrs. Baker began telling her own fantastical stories to children at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem. But she noticed that there were hardly any books at the library featuring Black people in respectful, uplifting ways. Thus began her journey of championing books, writers, librarians, and teachers centering Black stories, educating and inspiring future acclaimed authors like Audre Lorde and James Baldwin along the way. Discussion Prompts: ●​ Why did August Baker choose to become a librarian? What was the problem she recognized in her library? ●​ Why is it important to have “kind, honest” representations of different people? Have you ever felt that something someone said or wrote about your community was unkind or untrue? What did you feel? ●​ What does the author mean when they write “shining a bright light and painting a more brilliant, bold world with their words”? 66 Discussion Prompts: