|
APRIL 23RD, 2014
Cindy Trumbore and Susan Roth Win 2014 Américas Award!For Immediate Release Contact: April 23, 2014 Cindy Trumbore and Susan Roth win 2014 Américas Award Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth, co-authors and illustrator Susan L. Roth of Parrots Over Puerto Rico won the 2014 Américas Award. This book was awarded the 2014 award because of the way in which it portrays Latin America and the Caribbean. The award links the Americas to reach beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere. The awards are administered by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) and coordinated by both Tulane University’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies and Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American Studies. Generous support is also provided by Florida International University, The Ohio State University, University of Florida, University of New Mexico, Stanford University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Award Winner Parrots Over Puerto Rico, published by Lee & Low Books Inc. is the story of the Puerto Rican parrot, which once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, nearly became extinct, and is slowly making a comeback. But this is also a history, told with surprisingly little text, of the various peoples who have shared the island with the parrots and whose mixing makes up the human population of Puerto Rico today. Integrated into these narratives is information about the island’s flora and other fauna, international politics, and, most particularly, man’s role in the near-demise of the Puerto Rican parrot. Much of the book, including its afterword, tells in great detail of the ongoing efforts of the scientists of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program to restore the island’s parrot population. The Américas Committee selected two Honor Books; Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People written by Susan Goldman Rubin and Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote,” written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh both published by Abrams Books for Young Readers. Honor Books Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People thoughtfully connects the biography with the art, while Rubin expertly covers Rivera’s complexity as an artist or as a person, without exaggeration. Carefully selected artwork and photographs, as well as Rivera’s own words, bring added depth to the text. Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote brings to light the hardship and struggles faced by thousands of families who seek to make better lives for themselves and their children by illegally crossing the border. The story focuses on a young rabbit who awaits the return of his papa who traveled north two years ago to find work in the great carrot and lettuce fields to earn money for his family. Papa never returned and Pancho sets out to find him. Commended Titles Seven commended titles were selected this year by the committee, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass written by Meg Medina published by Candlewick Press, María Tenía una Llamita Pequeña/María Had a Little Llama illustrated and written by Angela Dominguez and published by Henry Holt & Company, Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mundo illustrated by Rafael López and written by Monica Brown, published by Rayo, an imprint of Harper Collins, Lightning Dreamer written by Margarita Engle, published by Harcourt, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, published by Random House, Round is a Tortilla, illustrated by John Parra and written by Roseanne Thong, published by Chronicle Books, and Serafina’s Promise written by Ann E. Burg and published by Scholastic Press. Complete annotations of the Américas Award 2014 will be posted here, please check back soon for this resource. Members of the 2014 Américas Award Selection Committee are: Chair Barbara D’Ambruoso, Orange, CT; Aaron Forbes, Morris Jeff Community School, New Orleans, LA; Keira Philipp-Schnurer, University of New Mexico, NM; Lucia Acosta, Princeton Public Library, NJ; and Robin Fogle Kurz, Louisiana State University, LA. CLASP’s mission is to promote all facets of Latin American studies throughout the world. Its broad range of activities include the encouragement of research activities, funding of professional workshops, advancement of citizen outreach activities, and development of teaching aids for the classroom. Find us on Facebook for all updates on Américas Award titles: www.facebook.com/americasaward For more information on the Américas Award make sure to go to the site |