Youth Literature Corner

Book covers of books for Latino children and youth

Welcome to Alicia’s “Youth Literature Corner,” my space dedicated to youth literature and librarians’ work on promoting books for all children! Below are links to resources from my work on Multicultural and Diverse Children’s and YA books. Feel free to contact me with ideas to work together.

~Alicia

Book Reviews Work:

Booklist column (Books in Spanish)

The Horn Book Magazine Book Reviews (multicultural)

Book Awards Appointments:

  • 2026-2027: Mildred Batchelder Book Award – Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
  • 2022 Walter Dean Myers Award – We Need Diverse Books, Inc. (Chair)
  • 2021 Walter Dean Myers Award – We Need Diverse Books, Inc. (Member)
  • 2017-2018: Pura Belpré Award – ALSC and REFORMA (Chair)
  • 2015-2016: Florida Teens Read – Florida Media in Education (FAME)
  • 2013-2014: Pura Belpré Award – ALSC and REFORMA (Member)

Book Awards Resources:

*Materials created for Pura Belpré Seminar. Please use these materials with attribution – I do not give permission for use in AI tools or for AI training.

The Pura Belpré Award

(Resources for Book Evaluation Seminar – NRC VIII)

The Pura Belpré Award (PBA), established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. I was a member (2014), chairperson (2018), and Cultural Competence Consultant (2023-2024).

Lists of Pura Belpré Award (PBA)-winning titles to find in your library:

Lists of Pura Belpre Award (PBA) creators (author and illustrators):

More information about the PBA:

Award Statistics:

Walter Award

Every year, the Walter Dean Myers Awards celebrates and honors diverse books by diverse creators. Sponsored by We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) and affectionately called “The Walter,” this program is named for award-winning children’s and young adult author Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​(1937-2014).​ ​I was member (2021) and chairperson (2022). Below are the award presentations and children’s literature symposiums that occurred alongside the award ceremonies on the years that I was involved:

Coretta Scott King Award

The Coretta Scott King (CSK) Awards encourage the artistic expression of the African American experience via literature and the graphic arts, including biographical, historical, and social history treatments.

As part of my efforts to bring diverse literature to all children, I worked with the Family Heritage House Museum (FHHM) in Florida to create a complete collection of all the Coretta Scott King Book Awards titles, which is housed in the museum’s special collection located at the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, Bradenton Campus Library. Children, families, librarians, and educators from the community can access those titles for research or enjoyment. Please contact Kathie Marsh, marshk@scf.edu to schedule a visit!