Boston, MA—May 25, 2019— Undocumented written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh and Islandborn by Junot Díaz win the 2019 Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. The award links the Americas by reaching beyond geographic borders and multicultural-international boundaries, focusing upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere. Two Honor Books, Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings by Francie LaTour and illustrated by Ken Daley and The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo were recognized this year along with 12 commended titles. Please check out the full list here.
VIEW THE VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT by Chair of the 2019 Américas Award, David Campos
Up to two annual book awards are given in recognition of U.S. published works that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States. An additional two titles may be recognized as Honorable Mentions, along with a list of Commended Titles. Books are considered for their distinctive literary quality, cultural contextualization, integration of text and illustration, and potential for classroom use.
The announcement was made by Co-Coordinator Colleen McCoy (Vanderbilt University, Center for Latin American Studies) and Committee Member Christi Moraga at the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) during the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) meeting held May 24-27, 2019, in Boston, Massachusetts. The award-winning authors will be recognized at a ceremony held September 27, 2019, during Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. hosted and sponsored by the Hispanic Division.
This past year recognized 25 years of the Américas Award and institutions and libraries across the country have celebrated the books recognized by the award with different programs and collaborative projects.
CLASP is pleased to present two resources developed in honor of the 25th anniversary. A commemorative poster which can be printed for us in libraries here and an important and timely resource developed by Hania Marien and Keira Phillipp-Schnurer (University of New Mexico) on behalf of CLASP. This toolkit serves as a guide to incorporating diverse literature into schools, libraries, and family reading programs while highlighting the books recognized over 25 years by the Américas Award. Educators will find the calendar useful to be able to recognize people and days of the year important to the Americas. Everyone will enjoy the special handout designed to “Read Across the Americas” encouraging map-skills and reading. Programming ideas, discussion about the use of “Latinx” vs. “Latino” vs “Hispanic” and the impact of language, and a rubric for evaluating culturally relevant and engaging books are all included in this comprehensive toolkit. This resource is available as a downloadable PDF HERE.
Members of the 2019 Américas Award Selection Committee include David Campos of San Antonio, TX; Connie Sharp of Nashville, TN; Christi Moraga in New Haven, CT; Luciano Marzulli in Salt Lake City, UT and Pat Austin in New Orleans, LA.
2019 Américas Award Sponsors
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, Stanford University, The Ohio State University, UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Florida, University of New Mexico, University of Texas at Austin, University of Utah, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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 for professional workshops, advancement of citizen outreach activities, and development of teaching aids for the classroom. For complete annotations of all titles recognized by the Américas Award, as well as curricular resources for previous winning titles, visit www.claspprograms.org/americasaward. Follow the Américas Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/americasaward for current news and author highlights, and join the conversation using #AmericasAward19.