Why am I passionate about this?

Angela Burke Kunkel is an author, school librarian, and former English Language Arts teacher. She has experience working with all types of young readers, from the reluctant to the voracious, and has taught in both alternative and public schools, including a New Mexico middle school with a nationally-recognized dual education program. She is passionate about ensuring equitable book access for all children, and has published articles and participated as a panelist on these issues.


I wrote

Book cover of Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built

What is my book about?

In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

Angela Burke Kunkel Why did I love this book?

This lyrical picture book biography, written by Anika Aldamuy Denise and gorgeously illustrated by Paola Escobar, tells the story of Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library. Belpré recognized the importance of bilingual storytimes and preserving Puerto Rican folktales, instituting what we might now call culturally responsive outreach in Spanish-speaking communities across New York City.

By Anika Aldamuy Denise, Paola Escobar (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Planting Stories as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

FOLLOW LA VIDA Y EL LEGADO OF PURA BELPRE, THE FIRST PUERTO RICAN LIBRARIAN IN NEW YORK CITY

When she came to America in 1921, Pura carried the cuentos folkloricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura's legacy.

This portrait of the influential librarian, author, and puppeteer reminds us of the…


Book cover of Dear Librarian

Angela Burke Kunkel Why did I love this book?

I very clearly remember Lydia Sigwarth sharing her library story on the This American Life episode “The Room of Requirement” back in 2018. Sigwarth, who was homeless as a child, found peace, stability, and a sense of routine at her local library—and grew up to become a children’s librarian herself. That wonderful segment was turned into an autobiographical picture book, written by Sigwarth and illustrated in warm and cozy tones by Romina Galotta.

By Lydia M. Sigwarth, Romina Galotta (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dear Librarian as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. They hopped from Grandma's house to Aunt Linda's house to Cousin Alice's house, but no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed. Lydia's mom took her to a new place -- not a house, but a big building with stone columns, and tall, tall steps. The library.

In the library, Lydia found her special spot across from the sunny window, at a round desk. For behind that desk was her new friend, the librarian. Together, Lydia and the librarian discovered a world beyond their…


Book cover of Waiting for the Biblioburro

Angela Burke Kunkel Why did I love this book?

Told from the perspective of Ana, a young girl in rural Colombia, Waiting for the Biblioburro is based on the work of Luis Soriano, an educator who brought books to children in remote parts of the country on the backs of his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto. This important story shows the challenges some children face obtaining access to books, and how the adults who support them in innovative ways can inspire a lifelong love of reading.

By Monica Brown, John Parra (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Waiting for the Biblioburro as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

Ana loves stories. She often makes them up to help her little brother fall asleep. But in her small village there are only a few books and she has read them all. One morning, Ana wakes up to the clip-clop of hooves, and there before her, is the most wonderful sight: a traveling library resting on the backs of two burros‑all the books a little girl could dream of, with enough stories to encourage her to create one of her own.
 
Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano, award-winning picture book creators Monica Brown and John Parra…


Book cover of The Lady with the Books: A Story Inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman

Angela Burke Kunkel Why did I love this book?

In the dark era of post-World War II Germany, journalist, author, and translator Jella Lepman organized a traveling exhibit of over 2,000 books from 14 countries. The Lady with the Books is a fictionalized account of Lepman’s project, told through the eyes of siblings Annelise and Peter, who enter the exhibit hoping to find food and discover something even more sustaining—books, and the hope of better days to come.

By Kathy Stinson, Marie LaFrance (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Lady with the Books as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Inspired by true events, a fictionalized retelling of how one woman brought a world of books to children in Germany after World War II, and changed their lives forever. Anneliese and Peter will never be the same after the war that took their father's life. One day, while wandering the ruined streets of Munich, the children follow a line of people entering a building, thinking there may be free food inside. Instead, they are delighted to discover a great hall filled with children's books --- more books than Anneliese can count. Here, they meet the lady with the books, who…


Book cover of The Library Bus

Angela Burke Kunkel Why did I love this book?

The Library Bus offers a glimpse into the importance of mobile libraries, showing how one bus run by a mother and daughter delivers books, school supplies, and lessons to other young girls in Afghanistan. Told of the course of one day, with the bus leaving Kabul in the very early morning and ending at bedtime, the story explains the restrictions women and girls faced under Taliban rule in a clear and age-appropriate way.

By Bahram Rahman, Gabrielle Grimard (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Library Bus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

Author Bahram Rahman grew up in Afghanistan during years of civil war and the restrictive Taliban regime of 1996-2001. He wrote The Library Bus to tell new generations about the struggles of women who, like his own sister, were forbidden to learn.

It is still dark in Kabul, Afghanistan when the library bus rumbles out of the city. There are no bus seats-instead there are chairs and tables and shelves of books. And there are no passengers-instead there is Pari, who is nervously starting her first day as Mama's library helper. Pari stands tall to hand out notebooks and pencils…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built

What is my book about?

In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays– that’s the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure...books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for Jose. Others take a bit more digging.

Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he’s been collecting books–thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones– to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.

Book cover of Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
Book cover of Dear Librarian
Book cover of Waiting for the Biblioburro

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