"A unique book ... conceived and created especially for children with learning differences but its use shouldn't be limited by its intent.
The sturdy, oversized board book format, sequential but clearly labeled (and very charming) illustrations, and dual-sided "game" pieces to add to the pages (there are outlines of boxes for just this purpose at the bottom of each page) make it broadly appealing.
The story reveals an increasingly independent boy who sometimes feels lonely until he imaginatively, perhaps magically, finds a friend. The straightforward text and clear illustration briefly and successfully introduces sequencing of the action as well as number sequencing. It could become or inspire a pictograph or perhaps a rebus as words and pictures create meaning.
It's a fine tool and an engaging book/game sure to be enjoyed by children with and without learning differences. While extension activities are suggested on the final pages, the bottom line is that books like this can generate even more ideas to share narrative, symbol, learning, and fun with all children." – Reading Rockets, WETA
• The Bloomsbury Review 2008 Editor's Favorites
• Flamingnet Top Choice Award
• The Bank Street College Best Children's Books of 2009
• SSLI 2009 Honor Book
"Just five minutes from her home, 16-year-old Alicia died when her date lost control of his car and hit a telephone pole. Alicia’s friends remember her in 13 chapters, each titled with a friend’s name. Chad feels Alicia drawing intricate designs on his arm. Ben writes a song about Alicia’s face inside the clouds. Lauren sobs uncontrollably at 11:27 on the night of the accident, later learning that it was the moment Alicia died. They keep their handmade cards and gifts from Alicia and cherish her love for them.
Readers of this young adult, truth-based novel don’t discover until the end that Delacre is the real Alicia’s mother, who was so struck by the grief of her daughter’s friends that she interviewed them to find out how they coped. Fictionalizing and merging their stories, she brings “solace to others who must endure grief.” Teen readers will identify with these friends, whose messages to Alicia, along with Alicia’s own art, illustrate the book. Grief counselors, teachers and parents will appreciate this resonant discussion-starter that includes driver safety and grief resources." –Youth Today
"In finding the transcendent quality of healing, the final Mama chapter almost seems to tap some mystical universal wellspring. It is about the endurance of hope when there seems to be none, the deeply human connections we make when we least expect them, and the ability to "allow grief to rise and be released whenever it had to be." Memoir touched with the lightest strokes of fiction, Alicia Afterimage is an unusual, heartrending tribute to a lost child. But more than that, it’s a road map to healing and an appeal to young people who may be at risk for just such needless tragedies. "–Children’s Literature
"Highly recommended for every public and school library serving young adults."– REFORMA
"Alicia’s friends express their grief realistically and without platitudes: one pretends that she and Alicia have simply lost touch; another finds that talking about Alicia makes it worse. Bereaved readers will be encouraged that whatever their approaches, all of the individuals (including the driver responsible for the crash) eventually begin to feel better without forgetting their friend."–Publishers Weekly
• A Pura Belpré Honor Book for both text and illustration • An ALA Notable • An Américas Honor Award • A Jane Addams Honor Award • A Skipping Stones Award
"Introducing Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library system, this warmhearted Spanish/English bilingual story adopts the perspectives of two children who are inspired by Belpré to enter a library for the very first time. During a cold, Depression-era winter, Belpré organizes the community to hold a Three Kings' Day festival at the library. In telling the story, González livens the English text with a sprinkling of Spanish words, and chooses facts of interest to children, but streamlines biographical details so that she can focus on the characters. Delacre's inviting oil and collage illustrations cleverly incorporate sepia-toned clippings from a January 6, 1930, New York Times, turning them into architectural elements, books, furniture, etc. With this simple and affectionate story, González and Delacre (both winners of the ALA's Pura Belpré Honor Medal) broadcast Belpré's welcome message to new generations of immigrants—“Remember, the library belongs to you all,” Belpré says. “We'll blow out the storyteller's candle, and your wish will come true.” " – Publishers Weekly starred review
"Two Pura Belpré Honor Award winners have created a moving portrait
of New York City's first Puerto Rican librarian, a woman whose work has inspired generations of young people in the communities she served...A lovely offering about the role of librarians in the lives of children." –School Library Journal
"Rich with details of traditions of the island, infused with the potent combination of homesickness and anticipation of better times, this picture book captures the spirit that Belpré inspired in her long career. Delacre’s mixed-media illustrations are especially meaningful." – Críticas Magazine
•A Junior Library Guild Selection •Available in English and Spanish!
"Delacre affectionately depicts the brief conflicts and abiding love between this busy duo, adding appealing watercolor illustrations. While Rafi is older and savvier, the verve with which Rosi approaches the panoply of childish emotions will jibe with kids fresh from such mastery themselves." – Kirkus Reviews
"These frog siblings are mischievous, but it is clear that they love and appreciate one another. Their emotions and experiences are universal to childhood. The charming cartoon illustrations are integral to the amusing text." – School Library Journal.
• A Junior Library Guild Selection
"Puerto Rican tree frogs Rafi and Rosi team up for some informative hijinks in this beginning reader. Older brother Rafi tricks his sister Rosi in two of three chapters: with help of a strong magnet and some iron filings he convinces Rosi he has "magic fingers," and he pretends to shoot stars out of the sky with his bow and arrow on the shore of Parguera Bay, "the bay of glittering water." Rosi gets her own back, however – she pushes Rafi into the lake in Chapter Two and helps her know-it-all big brother find his missing hermit crab in Chapter Three... Delacre illustrates this title in sunny beach shades of sand and sky, making the most of the expressively big-eyed tree frogs and their spindly but graceful limbs. Rafi and Rosi are a likable pair of siblings, and their science-oriented activities, while not intrusive, provide an underlying solidity to their interaction." – Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books
• A 2006 Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration
"... a bilingual collection of traditional Latino games and lullabies, is a tribute to motherhood. Delacre’s soft and tender illustrations celebrate the Latino family in a wide variety of settings. The combination of delicate and glowing colors makes each illustration warm and full of appeal." – ALA
"A veritable Latina Mother Goose" - Horn Book Magazine
"This is a perfect book for parent and child to share one-on-one." - Book Links
“The arc of a young girl's typical school day gives structure to this presentation of a rich mixture of traditional songs, games, riddles, a few simple recipes, and stories from Puerto Rico...The 27 lizards hiding in Delacre's clear, vibrant watercolors depicting a rural town, will demand attention from readers as they pore over the other details of a contemporary society enlivened by tradition.” —Kirkus Reviews
A CCBC Choices Book • An IRA Notable Book for a Global Society • IRA List of Outstanding International Books • CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People • An Américas Highly Commended Title
“Cleverly conceived, the vignettes in this collection of evocative, often touching Latin American short stories connect with a larger fictional narrative and feature a culinary delight (recipes included).”
–Kirkus Reviews
Cuentos con sazón
Críticas Best Book of 2002
"This compilation of stories provides excellent insight into a variety of Latin American cultures and traditions. Characters come from places as diverse as Argentina, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico in this entertaining reverie of family traditions and the good old days." –Críticas starred review
A CCBC Choices Book • An Américas Commended Title
“Delacre has created a collection that will be welcomed by all who have also sought in vain for such an introductory treasury...Her retellings are done in a clear and confident voice and are accompanied by her robust, colorful oil paintings...this impressively presented and referenced collection will inspire
readers and tellers alike to further mine the rich, complex landscapes of Latin American folklore.”
–Booklist
De oro y esmeraldas: Mitos, leyendas y cuentos populares de Latinoamérica
"Well-written source notes and numerous full-page oil paintings convey the drama of these ancient civilizations... their (tales) time tested authenticity is unquestionable."– Isabel Schon, Recommended Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adult
Señor Cat’s Romance and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America
Retold by Lucía M. González, IIlustrated by Lulu Delacre
2001 • English Edition Paperback • Scholastic • 0-439-27863-5 • $5.99
El romance de Don Gato
1999 • Spanish Edition Paperback • Scholastic • 0-439-08377 • $5.99
The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folktale
Retold by Lucía M. González, Illustrated by Lulu Delacre
A 1996 Pura Belpré Honor Book for Text • A 1996 Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration • A Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies • An American Bookseller’s Pick of the Lists
• Aesop Accolade List • A New York Public Library Best Book for Reading and Sharing
Bilingual Paperback • Scholastic • 0-439-06757-X • $5.99
El gallo de bodas
Mariposa Spanish Paperback • Scholastic • 043-912003 • $4.95
Vejigante Masquerader (Bilingual)
A 1993 Américas Award
An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
An NCTE Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Language Arts
“Carnival is near, and Ramón longs to masquerade along with the older boys, the vejigantes, in the month-long celebration. The bilingual text, along with muted, earth-toned illustrations, settles like a gentle blanket to embrace readers with subthemes of both personal and cultural strength and beauty.” –School Library Journal
1993 • Paperback • Scholastic • 0-590-45777-2 • $3.95
Arroz con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America (Bilingual)
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
1989 • Paperback • Scholastic • 0-590-41886-6 • $4.95
Cassette • Scholastic 60035-4 • $4.95
