The University of South Carolina's First Annual Celebration of Latino Children's Literature: Connecting Cultures and Celebrating Cuentos

Key Note Speakers  

Dr. Kathy G. Short will be delivering the opening key note speaker for our Celebration of Latino Children's Literature. She has focused her work on literature circles, curriculum as inquiry, and collaborative learning environments for teachers and children. Dr. Short is a professor in the Department of Language, Reading and Culture at the University of Arizona and has worked extensively with teachers to develop curricula that actively involve students as readers and inquirers. Her current research interests encompass international literature for youth and intercultural understandings through youth literature. She is co-editor of Language Arts , journal of the National Council of Teachers of English, and co-author of many books among which include: Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers , Learning Together through Inquiry , Literature as a Way of Knowing, and Talking about Books. Her most recent book is Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children's Literature . Dr. Short also directs a center on international children's and adolescent literature at the University of Arizona .

Yuyi Morales is an artist, author, puppet maker, Brazilian folk dancer, and former host of a Spanish-language storytelling radio show. Born in Veracruz , Mexico , she attended the University of Xalapa , and then moved with her husband and son to the United States in 1995. She wrote and illustrated Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book , which won the Pura Belpré Award, the Américas Award, Tomás Rivera Award, and the Latino Book Award. Her illustrations for Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesár Chavez, (written by Kathleen Krull) won a Pura Belpré Honor Award in 2004. Other books illustrated by Yuyi include Sand Sister and Los Gatos Black on Halloween. Her latest book Little Night , (Spanish edition, Nochecita ), was released in 2007.

Lucía M. González is an author, storyteller, and Associate Director for Programming and Youth Services at the Broward County Library System in Fort Lauderdale , Florida . Raised in Havana , Cuba and Miami , Florida , she attended the University of California at Santa Barbara and the University of Tampa in Florida . Currently, Lucía serves as the chair of the Children's and Young Adult Services Roundtable of REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking). Her first book The Bossy Gallito was awarded the Pura Belpré Honor Award in 1996. Her second book Señor Cat's Romance and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America was named an Américas Award Commended Title in 1998. Lucía's most recent book The Storyteller's Candle /La velita de los cuentos is scheduled for release in March 2008.