Multicultural Books: The Storyteller's Candle

Title: The Storyteller's Candle/ La Velita de los Cuentos 
Author: Lucia Gonzalez
Illustrator: Lulu Delacre 

Genre: Historical Fiction    

Major Awards:  Jane Addams Children's Book Award Nominee for Younger Children (2009), Pura Belpré Award Nominee for Narrative and Illustration (2009)
Age Group:  8-11 years old

During the Great Depression, many Puerto Ricans moved from the island to the city of New York. Two of the main characters Hildamar and her cousin Santiago were walking home from school. It was really cold and almost time for winter break, this would be the first winter they spent in New York. That night at dinner the family was reminiscing and discussing how much they missed the island, and the upcoming celebration of Three Kings Day. The kids wondered if the Three Kings would come as far as New York. The next day Hildamar and Santiago’s aunt was taking them to school when they passed by the library. The children really wanted to go inside, but their aunt was hesitant to go in because she believed no one in the library spoke Spanish. Almost perfectly that same day one of the librarians from the public library Pura Belpré came to read to the students and brought puppets as well to go along with the story. At the end of her visit, Ms. Belpré invited the entire class to the library during the break in both English and Spanish. Hildamar was so excited to hear that someone at the library spoke Spanish she wanted to share the news with everyone. Hildamar and Santiago were so excited to share the news that as soon as they were picked up from school, they told their aunt and their family friends from the local corner store. The adults were intrigued that someone at the library spoke Spanish and agreed to take the students on Saturday.  When Saturday came around, their kids were so excited and ran in through the doors. Their they heard Ms. Belpré tell a story from Puerto Rico. After the story Ms. Belpré had all the students close their eyes and make a wish on the storytellers’ candle. Ms. Belpré made an announcement that there would be a play and celebration for Three Kings Day in the library. Hildamar and Santiago got leads in the play and the adults volunteered to make curtains, costumes, and sets. After that day the library became a second home and Hildamar and all of the neighborhood came to the library every day to explore the books and prepare for the celebration. When Three Kings Day arrived, everyone gathered in the library to laugh, share stories, celebrate, and enjoy the play. Puerto Rico and New York became one that night, and it all ended with the storytellers candle and a wish.

I was completely shocked when I read the introduction of the book and found out that the story was about Pura Belpré herself, whom the Pura Belpré award given to Latin American Authors and Illustrators is named after. The storyteller's candle is such a beautiful story and would make a wonderful addition to any 3rd- 6th-grade classroom library. On a more personal level, I loved this book! I am Puerto Rican and as I was reading, I recognized a lot of the language and phrases the author used I had grown up hearing the majority of my life. The celebration of Three Kings Day also resonated with me because my family and I celebrate the holiday. It was really fun for me to read a book and connect to it on a cultural level, which is what I believe the purpose of multicultural books is. The purpose is to connect with students, and have students see themselves and their experiences represented through the stories they read. Similarly, the story itself can be used in the classroom as an extension to the students learning. The book can be used in a social studies class as resource material during Hispanic Heritage month. The books on the table can be switched out for each unit and topic. During Hispanic Heritage month, students can read about influential Latin Americans who made history, and even use the books as information guides for any Hispanic heritage month projects.  What makes the book even more special is the entire story is bilingual and written in both English and Spanish.