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Long before bilingual storytime became a staple in libraries across the U.S., Pura Belpré was bringing Puerto Rican folklore, storytelling and plain magic to life for children in New York City. At first glance, she would not be seen as a powerful figure. She wasn’t a politician or a celebrity. Alas, she was a superheroine = a Puerto Rican immigrant who worked as a librarian. Why is Pura Belpré important? She was the first Boricua librarian in New York City. Like Mister Rogers Neighborhood had taken the United States by storm in the 60s, 70s and 80s as a television form of education and entertainment for children, Pura Teresa Belpré did the same for New York City’s libraries with her limericks and puppets making her a pioneer in bilingual storytime.
We honor her legacy by highlighting her life achievements and involvement in New York City’s history.
Who Was Pura Belpré? An Afro-Boricua with Big New York Dreams
Pura was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico, between 1899 and 1903. She spent her entire childhood on the island, listening to her grandma’s folk tales about la Cucarachita Martina (Martina, the Little Roach), el Ratoncito Pérez (the Pérez Mouse), and el sencillo Juan Bobo (Juan Dumb, the Simpleton). She enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, in the hopes of becoming a teacher.
However, during her first year, she traveled to New York to attend her sister’s wedding and fell in love with the city. Determined to stay, Pura got herself a seamstress job, a trade many Latinas took part in. Despite the adversities, she never lost hope of working with children.
How Pura Belpré Revolutionized Storytime
Belpré’s dream came true when the New York Public Library began hiring Spanish-speaking staff. Although the job was initially offered to her sister, she rejected it, and so Pura took her place. Quickly, a woman called Ernestine Rose took the Boricua under her wing and began working at a library on 115th Street, an area where many other Puerto Ricans lived. She set up a puppet theater, which later became a big thing for the community. Her collection of puppets is displayed at the Center of Puerto-Rican Studies in Hunter College, CUNY.
On the other hand, Pura’s contribution to her cultural heritage included official bilingual storytime sessions, the purchase of books in Spanish, and programs dedicated to traditional holidays like the Three Wise Kings. Telling bilingual stories was an unprecedented event at the time, and everyone loved Miss Belpré’s tales of Martina, Pérez, and Juan Bobo.
“My first task was to read all the books on the fairy tale shelves. Then the folklore of the world opened up to me. As I put the books back on the shelves, I looked for the legends I had heard at home and told my cousins and friends. To my surprise, I found none. A sudden feeling of loss grew inside me... knowledge of his folklore would develop a sense of pride and identification in him [the Puerto Rican child]. But how was I going to achieve my desire... to strengthen the folklore of Puerto Rican children?” she wrote in “The Art of Writing for Children” (2013).
Pura was also an activist in civic organizations like the Porto Rican Brotherhood of America and the Puerto Rican and Hispanic League. Her library became so important that it hosted Mexican muralist Diego Rivera during his visit to the city.
Pura Belpré’s Literary Career as a Published Author
Pura’s love for literature increased when she studied storytelling with Mary Gould Davis at the New York Public Library School in 1925. She and her other mentor, Anne Carroll Moore, pushed Belpré to improve the storytime sessions at her library and to pursue a writing career. Children adored the love story between Martina and Pérez so much that it was eventually published. This was Pura’s first book, but she also compiled other folk stories from her homeland and translated them into English to bring her culture closer to the United States.
In 1968, she retired from the public library but kept on working on something called the South Bronx Library Project, a community outreach program to promote library use and provide needed services to Latino neighborhoods throughout the Bronx.
The Lasting Impact of Pura Belpré
In 1982, Pura received the New York Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture. Then, in 1996, the American Library Association instituted an annual award in her name for authors and illustrators for children who honor the Latinx culture.
Her life has been portrayed in a documentary made by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies and directed by Eduardo Aguiar. There’s also the Pura Belpré Project by Teatro SEA, the Newyorker Latinx theater company for the youth. Finally, Gonzáles and Deacre published The Storyteller’s Candle in 2008, a children’s book on Pura’s life.
Pura Belpré left a lasting mark on the way children’s literature represents culture and language. By introducing bilingual storytelling and preserving Puerto Rican folktales, she created safe spaces for immigrant families. Her hard work and dedication have helped generations of Latinx children see their traditions reflected in books. Next time you visit a public library, pay attention to how many non-English books for kids you can find. If there are many of them, then there’s Pura’s legacy to thank for that.
Resumen en español
Pura Belpré fue una inmigrante puertorriqueña que se convirtió en la primera bibliotecaria boricua de la New York Public Library. Nacida en Cidra, Puerto Rico, creció escuchando cuentos populares de su abuela, como los de la Cucarachita Martina y Juan Bobo. Cuando se mudó a Nueva York, comenzó a trabajar en una biblioteca donde impulsó innovaciones importantes, como las horas de cuentos bilingües, la compra de libros en español y actividades culturales para la comunidad puertorriqueña. Belpré también desarrolló una carrera literaria escribiendo y adaptando cuentos folclóricos de Puerto Rico para el público infantil en Estados Unidos. Su legado continúa hoy a través de premios, libros, proyectos teatrales y documentales inspirados en su vida, como el premio Pura Belpré Award.
