The Book:
PLANTING STORIES: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre
Author/Illustrator: Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrations by Paola Escobar
Publication Info.: Harper Collins, 2019
Category: Nonfiction, biography, narrative nonfiction
What’s noteworthy for authors and educators:
Anika Denise and Paola Escobar do a masterful job of carrying the idea of planting stories from beginning to end of this #picturebook biography. First Pura arrives with the seeds of stories carried from Peurto Rico. A factory job doesn’t provide “fertile ground” for Pura’s stories to take root. But by the end of the book, seeds become a “lush landscape” and plants take over the page in Escobar’s illustrations.
Additional Resources/Classroom activities:
A teacher’s guide is available on the Harper Collins website, here.
Why not try planting your own garden after reading this book? Here’s a cool ziploc bag activity from Mad In Crafts.
Kirsten W. Larson 